


Never Enough

by Jolty13



Series: Hyperion Guys [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Awkward Dates, Awkward Flirting, Banter, Blushing, Clumsiness, Comfort Food, Dorks in Love, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Heartbreak, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Multi, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Snark, Tough Love, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-11-14 16:10:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18055751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jolty13/pseuds/Jolty13
Summary: If someone told Vaughn he'd be dating Rhys someday, he would have jumped for joy.If someone told Vaughn he'd be dating Handsome Jack and his body double someday, he would have said to shoot him, and quick.Turns out, a lot can change!





	1. Chapter 1

Vaughn didn’t know if he wanted to hug or strangle Rhys. The cybernetic man who had been missing all night now strode through the doorway to their apartment like a lazy cat, big goofy grin on his face. Vaughn immediately launched himself off the couch and ran forward.

“Rhys! _Where_ have you been?!”

The response was slow. Rhys’s brown and blue eyes drifted lazily to Vaughn, as if he were in some deep haze. “Bro,” he finally spoke, completely breathless. “You are not going to believe what happened.”

His nonchalance picked at Vaughn’s nerves by the second. He glared at Rhys with lips pursed. Rhys, totally unaffected, just grabbed Vaughn by the shoulders and beamed.

“I slept with Handsome Jack last night!”

The trains of logic in Vaughn’s mind immediately crashed and snagged into each other. There was so much wrong with what Rhys had just said, he couldn’t even comprehend. The most he could muster was a disbelieving brow to arch at his best friend.

“Yeah!” Rhys continued, as if Vaughn were jumping for joy with him. “It was actually him! I stopped by Moonshots on the way home just to get a drink, and _he was there._ He was there and we met eyes and then he came over…” A bit of drool oozed out of his mouth as he paused to reflect on the scandalous memory. Then suddenly he gave Vaughn an excited little shake. “It was wild! And he said he’d call me again! Can you imagine if that wasn’t a lie?!”

Vaughn had had quite enough. He wriggled himself out of Rhys’s grasp and reach to put a hand to the taller man’s forehead. The panicked words flew out of his mouth.

“Rhys, that’s not possible! Someone’s drugged or brainwashed you! Maybe they implanted some fake memories in your cybernetics. Oh God, we need to get you scanned! Check to make sure you have your kidneys!”

Rhys rolled his eyes with amusement at the display. “ _Bro._ It was real.” With his flesh hand he reached up to the tips of his collar and started to tug at the material. A drunken grin spread across his features. “I’ve got the marks to prove it.”

“NO,” Vaughn stopped him, gritting his teeth. “I don’t need to see your marks. Uch!”

Suddenly a thought came to him that rivaled the horror of Rhys being brainwashed. He folded clammy hands into his underarms. “You… You really did…” A small nauseous groan finished the thought. Vaughn figured Handsome Jack was like one of those bugs that killed its mate after the fact. It was sick to think of Rhys being with that murder-crazy guy.

Rhys just clapped him on the upper arm, still grinning with all teeth. “I know you’re not the biggest fan. But just trust me, there’s nothing wrong.” He laughed a little. “Just the luckiest night of my life!”

That took all of the anxiety Vaughn had built up and lit it into anger. “Well, while you were having the luckiest night of your life, I was scouring every inch of this station trying to find you! I’ve been back and forth between your office and home a million times, wandered everywhere else on this station, and checked in with the medical bay every fifteen minutes! I think they hate me now. Why didn’t you answer any of the times I called?!”

Rhys finally seemed brought down to reality. The dreamy haze from his eyes cleared and he combed his robotic hand through his hair. “I, um,” he began gruffly, “I might have blocked you.” At Vaughn’s outraged expression, he quickly continued. “The calls were lighting up my echo eye like crazy, bro. Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on making out when that’s going on?”

“No, I don’t,” Vaughn huffed.

“You really didn’t have to worry.”

“Yes, Rhys, I did. Vasquez is all up our asses right now and-“

Rhys snorted. “Assquez.”

Vaughn summoned all of his might not to laugh at that. “And there’s no telling what he might come up with to try and take you out of the game. It’s not like he’s the only one, either. Half the promotions in this place are made by someone using someone else’s corpse as a stepping stone. You know that!”

“Vasquez is all talk and bull shit,” Rhys assured, smiling and raising his hands dismissively. “He couldn’t do anything even if he wanted. And I’d really like to see anyone else try.”

Vaughn still glowered. “You skipped out on our game night, too, by the way. That was a first.” He fixated his gaze on the wall, feeling stupid for all the worrying he’d done.

“Look, Vaughn, I’m really sorry I ditched out, but…” Rhys paused, that smile returning to his lips again. “It was _Handsome Jack._ ”

Vaughn froze. Those words reverberated in his head, leaving an echo that rattled around and downward to make his whole body cold. This was the moment he always feared, ever since getting close to Rhys in college. He’d been surprised someone so cool and good looking would spend so much time hanging around him. Even over the years, there was still something in the back of his mind always told him that Rhys would realize the difference between them and eventually move on. It was the reason he was never able to come out to Rhys and see if they could make their relationship something more. He was terrified that it would only make that day come sooner. Now here it was, anyway.

And as far as coolness went, Handsome Jack was on the opposite end of the scale from him.

“I…” Vaughn started roughly, finding his voice. “I’m going to go to bed. Been up all night.” He turned his gaze down to the floor to avoid seeing Rhys’s reaction. Still, his friend’s downcast voice caught him.

“You didn’t sleep at all?”

Vaughn shook his head slowly, ashamed to make eye contact. He pulled the echo out of his pocket and turned completely away. “I’ll call Yvette and let her know you’re back. She was helping me look.”

His chest felt incredibly heavy as Yvette’s number dialed in his ear. There were several rings before she answered. “Yeah?” she mumbled, voice deep with grogginess.

Vaughn pinched his eyes shut and sighed. “Rhys is back.”

“He was getting laid, wasn’t he?” Vaughn just ground his teeth at that, and Yvette chuckled in self-satisfaction. “Told ya.”

“Yeah, all right. _You can go back to sleep now_.”

“You do that too, crazy. Talk to you later.”

With that she hung up and Vaughn grumbled, shoving the echo back into his pocket. Sometimes he felt like the only one out of the three of them who had a sense of how dangerous things were at Hyperion. Right now he was fed up with trying to convince them otherwise. He slunk back to his bedroom, ignoring whatever words Rhys started to stutter.

…

Sleep didn’t do much to improve Vaughn’s mood. Despite not getting a wink the night before, his mind was still wired from all the worry he’d had for Rhys. He’d tossed and turned in his dark room, only getting brief and restless sleep after all. Every time he woke up, he’d hoped that the whole thing had just been a shitty dream. Rhys, with Handsome Jack? That was as improbable as anything. He still wasn’t entirely convinced that Rhys didn’t have something strange happen to him. Maybe he could still prod his friend to do a cybernetic scan.

The thought of Rhys being hacked almost made him break out into a cold sweat again. Vaughn rolled over to look at the clock and saw that it was late afternoon, before settling onto his back and looking up at the dim ceiling of his room. He heaved a long sigh. There was no way he could force any more sleep on himself. He needed to just give up on last night’s rest and try again tonight. At least Rhys was back safe and sound now.

Vaughn sighed and lazily shrugged off the blankets. He could get past this. There was no way Rhys was going to get with Jack again; that was a fluke. Hyperion employees were as disposable as toilet paper to Jack, and Vaughn was sure that rule applied whether said employees were at a desk or in his bed. He would just have to forget about this incident as soon as humanly possible, and hope Rhys did the same.

One of these days, he was really going to have to tell Rhys how he felt. Rhys’s attitude that morning had made him want to put it off for a few more lifetimes, but Vaughn didn’t exactly care for Rhys sleeping around. He’d even ditched out on their game night – undiluted bro time they spent together every Friday night. Rhys had never missed it before, not for anything. That he didn't respond to any messages on top of that made Vaughn feel so forgotten, like he was disposable to Rhys, too.

Grumpily, Vaughn sat up and put himself into some clean clothes before crossing the hall to use the bathroom and fix himself up a little. Once he was out, he found Rhys sitting on the couch watching some comedy rerun on TV. The cybernetic man turned at Vaughn’s presence and seemed to look him over to gauge the situation.

“Hey,” Rhys said cautiously, immediately muting the show.

“Hey,” was all Vaughn could blankly respond.

Rhys combed his fingers through his hair bashfully. “You get some sleep?”

“Eh. A little bit.”

“Look, bro. I’m really sorry about last night. It’s just happened so fast, before I even really knew what was going on, and…” Rhys shook his head and Vaughn didn’t appreciate the grin he obviously suppressed at the memory. “I should have let you know, though. It sounds like that ruined your night. I, uh, listened to your messages.”

Vaughn cringed as he plopped down on the couch next to Rhys. Some of those got pretty emotional around 3AM. “Ugh, it’s fine.” He scrunched his nose in thought. “Searching around gave me the chance to find places on Helios I didn’t even know existed. Did you know there’s an entire hall filled with orgy rooms? I will never be able to unsee some of the things I saw last night.”

Rhys laughed, loud and hearty. “You didn’t want to take a spin?”

Vaughn punched him on the shoulder. “I prefer not to get diseases.” He didn’t even want to comment on how Jack was probably a hotbed of STD’s himself.

“Bro, I’m glad that you care enough to worry like that,” Rhys said. His lips betrayed a shy smile that made Vaughn’s heart thump. “If it had been you that didn’t come home, I would have been real worried, too.” He lifted his hand for a bro fist. “Forgive me?”

Vaughn rolled his eyes and smiled. “Yeah,” he said in a put upon tone before returning the fist bump.

“You’re the best, bro,” Rhys said with a grin as he stood and started to mess with his palm display. “I’ll make it up to you by treating for pizza tonight. Okay?”

“You should lead with that next time.”

The two shared a chuckle as Rhys set to ordering the food with his cybernetics, left eye glowing brightly. Vaughn couldn’t help the fond smile that formed as he observed his friend. Rhys had a habit of letting his ambitions take the wheel and forgetting how that affected the people around him. Every time he realized it, though, he would come back with a sincere apology and go back to showing that he cared. Vaughn just couldn’t find it in him to stay mad. Maybe it was stupid of him, but he was too closely bonded with Rhys to not forgive him now.

“We could still have game night,” Rhys offered as he closed his display. “Yvette will be here, but she doesn’t mind hanging out to watch the show.”

Vaughn smirked. “Yeah, she’ll love that,” he commented sarcastically. Yvette did like to watch them play games on occasion, and helped to egg them on against each other, even if they were playing co-op. It probably wasn’t her first choice of activity, but if they provided her with enough food and alcohol, she’d be fine to go along. She could deal after the stress he went through last night.

“So what game do you want to lose at, then?” he asked mischievously. Rhys snorted as he turned for the kitchen.

“Well, you’ve got some big talk there! You know what? Go ahead and choose how you'd like to be destroyed. I’m going to go make sure we’ve got enough drinks on hand.”

Shaking his head with a humored huff, Vaughn went to scour through their games. They had some old classic titles, simpler games where they’d compete for the high score, but there was also a good array of fighters and action games, ones that really got them riled up and shouting. After digging through their stash, he finally settled on the classic Fury Kart Racing. Weaponized karts racing over all sorts of wild terrain? He was going to annihilate Rhys. After what happened last night, he was well motivated to give the guy some shit through virtual projectiles and explosions.

Once the game was all set up, he went to follow Rhys into the kitchen. The guy was sure taking a while just to check their alcohol supply. “Hey, we should make sure there’s still some of that strawberry stuff Yvette left here last time – Rhys?”

The cybernetic man stood unmoving, staring with wide eyes at his palm display.

…

Half an hour later Yvette walked in to the apartment to find Vaughn sitting alone on the couch with his head in his hands. “Hey!” she chirped. “What’s up?”

Vaughn slowly raised his head and looked to Yvette with a miserable expression.

“It's happening again!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally! XD This story has gone through a lot of rewrites. These characters offer so many possibilities. I think I'm set on the direction to take now, though.
> 
> There are a lot of stories where Vaughn's on the sidelines, so I wanted him to have center stage. : 3 Plus he's my favorite - and quite adorable.
> 
> The beginning parts of this story will be a bit sad and angsty, but there's a tidal wave of fluff to follow!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To everyone's surprise, things don't seem to be slowing down between Rhys and Handsome Jack.

“Rhys is with Jack again? Holy shit!” Yvette’s eyes flitted around the apartment. “He still got the food, right?” Vaughn grumbled and jabbed his hand toward the ignored pizza on the kitchen table. “Oh, thank God.”

 

_“Vaughn. He asked me to come back tonight!”_

_This had to be a nightmare; he was still napping, right? “You’re kidding me,” Vaughn said blankly._

_The same blissful smile from that morning appeared on Rhys’s face. “No!” he laughed, starting to move as if to show Vaughn the message but retracted. “I mean, he phrased it a little more colorfully, but this is for real. Bro! Do you know what this could mean?!”_

_Probably a trip out the airlock, eventually, but Vaughn held his tongue. “Ugh, Rhys, you’re not really going, are you?”_

_Rhys quirked his head innocently before seeming to remember the situation. “Hm? Oh. Shit. You and Yvette are still good to hang out, right? We’re all stocked up; you two can have some drinks and catch up, watch movies. I promise to make the bro time up to you. We’ll hang out real soon. But Vaughn, come on. This is unreal!” When Vaughn’s expression still soured, he stepped closer. “At least you know I haven’t been Vasquez’d this time, right?”_

_“Vasquez’d? You mean forced to dress in a bad suit?”_

_Rhys laughed and bumped him on the shoulder playfully. “Exactly. So kick back and relax tonight! I’m gonna go grab a few things and be out of here.” Rhys spun and attempted finger guns while backing out of the kitchen, only to knock his head into the overhead cabinet. “Ow! Uhm…” he chuckled sheepishly while gripping the back of his head. “See ya.”_

_He didn’t look up to notice the devastated expression on Vaughn’s face._

 

“Hoo,” Yvette commented at the story. She now lounged on one end of the couch with her feet kicked up into Vaughn’s lap. “That’s crazy.” Her words were muffled by the slice of pizza she chomped in one hand. A large wine glass was balanced in her other, and a plate rested on her lap.

“I can’t believe he went again,” Vaughn mumbled, anxiously drumming his knuckles against her shins.

“No, no, that’s totally believable,” Yvette said before taking a generous gulp of wine. “What’s crazy is that Handsome Jack invited Rhys’s dumb ass up there again, in less than twenty-four hours. The guy must be losing his mind. Hello, opening for CEO! Say, while you’re down there, how about a foot rub? I’ve been all over Helios with problems today, and they’re killing me!”

“Keep dreaming.”

“What good are you?” she grumbled while poking him in the belly with her toes. “Anyway, I say let the boy have his fun. Who knows the last time he got well laid? It certainly wasn’t going to be with you anytime soon!”

Vaughn grimaced defensively. Yvette was the only one privy to his feelings about Rhys. Apparently he’d triggered her “gaydar” early on, and with how he was always found at Rhys’s side, it didn’t take much more time for her to put the pieces together. By some miracle, she hadn’t blabbed to Rhys or tried to set them up. She’d assured that the last thing she wanted to do was play matchmaker and have to deal with them “slobbering all over each other” when the three were hanging out. Vaughn was content to accept her reasoning; he was glad to have a friend to talk confidentially with about it, after years of bottling everything up in college. Being head over heels for one’s best friend and roommate wasn’t something easy to cope with. Still…

“I was going to come out to him,” he whined. “Like after his next promotion, or something. We’ve been real focused on moving up the ranks lately. It’s not a good time to talk about that sort of stuff.” His cheeks burned over the knowledge that he was grasping at straws for excuses. What was worse, he was well aware that Yvette knew it, too.

“First off, I don’t think Rhys and Jack are doing much ‘talking.’ Second, forget moving up the ranks. Rhys could be in for a catapult to the top if he plays his cards right. Look at the big picture, Vaughn. What could possibly be better for us in Hyperion than a connection with the CEO? We could _all_ benefit from this.”

“I don’t care!” Vaughn insisted. He paused to grit his teeth. “I mean, of course I do. But we were doing fine on our own, right?”

Yvette took another ample swig of wine. “Not as fine as this. Try complaining to me when Rhys has the power to make you head of accounting.” The mental image made Vaughn pout, despite the obvious appeal. Of course they were all wanting to make it to the top. The key was that they were supposed to do it together. Rhys hanging off of Handsome Jack was never part of the plan.

“Look, Vaughn,” Yvette said as she noshed into the crust of her pizza slice, “you need to remember – this is _Handsome Jack_. He’s got everything and _is_ everything. Nobody on this station could hope to compete, including you. Think of how much Rhys crushes on the guy. This has to be a fantasy come true for him. Maybe, try to be happy for him.”

The words hit Vaughn like a precision strike to all his weak spots. “Happy for him?” he sputtered, feeling like all the air had been punched out of him. “You want me to be happy that he’s having sex with some impossibly perfect person?!”

“Well I’m only saying. Sometimes it’s best to face the facts. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can work with it and move on.”

“Can’t you say something more comforting, though? Isn’t that what friends are supposed to do?”

Yvette dusted some crumbs off her hands onto her plate. “Umm, there’s a really good pizza over there, and we didn’t have to pay for it.”

Vaughn just slumped in his seat. He didn’t want pizza; he wanted Rhys. Preferably both, but the gap left by his best friend was making the weekly get together strange and hollow. It was pathetic to say out loud, so he just kept his mouth shut. The current conversation had already done nothing to help his bruised self-esteem.

Yvette swiveled her feet off his lap and sat up beside him. “Come on,” she coaxed, voice a little gentler. “You’ll be more sad if you have an empty stomach. Quit pouting and let’s put on a movie, all right?” With a rough pat on the back, she finally got Vaughn up on his feet.

“And if you want a nicer dose of reality, just keep in mind that Jack is rich and impulsive. He’ll be bored with Rhys soon.”

…

One week later saw no trace of boredom. Rhys had swaggered home a couple hours late from work at the beginning of the week, and then a couple nights later never came home at all. He’d managed to give Vaughn the briefest of heads up, at the very least, quick messages just saying that he wouldn’t be home. It made Vaughn sick each time, a mixture of jealousy, sadness, and fear for Rhys’s well-being growing inside as he read the words. And when Rhys walked in the door each time, looking so pleased, it only drug Vaughn down more.

Rhys was happy – without him.

After another weekend of Rhys being MIA for most of the time, the two finally got a block of quality bro time together. They sat side by side in the living room, opting for a co-op fantasy adventure game instead of competing. “You and Yvette hang out last night?” Rhys asked as his warrior character sliced at monster trolls on screen.

“Yeah,” Vaughn mumbled, his mage character casting a protective spell over the party. Usually he loved this time playing games with Rhys, but the knowledge of what had happened the past week might as well have been played repeatedly over a loudspeaker in the room. “We watched Werewolf Crusade,” he supplied to help fill the painful silence.

That brought warm chuckles out of Rhys. “Oh man, that movie is so funny. The part where that guy gets thrown against the wall and it’s so obviously a dummy with a bad wig…” Vaugh couldn’t help but smile a bit at the memory. The two had rewound that part too many times to count the first time they’d ever watched it in college. Vaughn liked to think of himself as a “good bad” movie connoisseur; fake practical effects and bad stunts were their favorite. The two were almost pros at catching those moments at this point.

“Sorry I missed,” Rhys said. “That sounds like fun.” His tone suddenly got a little dreamy. “Things have just been wild-”

“No, no,” Vaughn cut in with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.” He wouldn’t want the details of any friend’s sexual exploits, but from Rhys, it was almost unbearable.

“Right. Sorry,” Rhys said, flushing a little.

They continued playing, trading comments as their characters traveled across the world map in the game, but Vaughn found his mind elsewhere. This was a good chance. They were alone, hanging out on a day off with no work situations on hand. He could tell Rhys, and maybe, if Rhys reciprocated, then this could be over and there wouldn’t be any more nights out with Handsome Jack, or anybody. They could finally be together for real. His heart drummed at the thought. If he just said something now, he could put a stop to this.

Dread simultaneously overcame him. Would Rhys really choose him over Handsome Jack – CEO of the company, richest and probably best-looking bastard in the galaxy, the guy Rhys had been infatuated with ever since college, before they’d even applied at Hyperion? Handsome Jack was Rhys’s _dream_. And he…he was more Rhys’s shadow. Maybe Yvette was right, and there really was no competition.

Confessing to Rhys could have disastrous effects on their friendship, too. It was the primary reason Vaughn had said nothing up to this point. The last thing he wanted was for things to be awkward between them, for Rhys to stop sitting so close or avoid reaching out to touch during conversation because he didn’t feel the same way. It would also leave him feeling so pathetic if he got rejected. Spending time with Rhys would never feel the same.

This all didn’t even take into account what Jack might do. Getting between him and his new interest might be a one-way ticket out an airlock, or probably to some other bloody end. The guy was notorious for being both violent and unpredictable. Vaughn had never run into him in person but the stories and rumors told throughout Helios were enough. There was no doubt he’d be the jealous type.

Vaughn snuck a glance at Rhys, noting the handsome features of his face – the soft, inviting smile he so often wore, the enthusiastic glint in his eyes, visible even in the bright blue cybernetic. He wasn’t just a pretty person, though; it was his eager but gentle nature that Vaughn had fallen in love with. Rhys could have easily been just another snobby jerk, both in college and on Helios. Others had given him plenty opportunity to join their ranks, but instead he’d chosen to remain the kind and loyal person he was. He’d always stood by Vaughn over the years.

That wouldn’t change, would it?

Rhys suddenly did a small double take at him. “Hey, are you all right? You like a bit, uh, pale.”

Vaughn blinked sharply. It could be now.

Want to, want to…

“I just feel a little sick all the sudden,” he mumbled, rising to his feet.

Can’t, can’t…

Rhys’s gaze was heavy on him as he crossed in front of the couch toward the short hall leading to their bedrooms. “Do you need anything?” His voice was a little small and shaken.

“No, no. It’s okay. I think I just need to lie down. Go ahead and finish playing.” Thoroughly embarrassed and kicking himself, Vaughn hurriedly slunk back to his bedroom and shut the door.

…

The air was cool, thick with an energy that hummed softly in the air. It nearly enveloped Vaughn as he dazedly made his way up a set of cream-colored stairs, suspended in nowhere. In every direction, far as the eye could see, stretched vast amounts of stars, planets, skies that blended endlessly in a peaceful array of blacks, deep blues, and royal purples. It reminded him of the first time he and Rhys had ever seen the view from a grand window on Helios.

His best friend came into view at the top of the stairs, standing on a small platform. Rhys turned to him, a smile smoothly illuminating on his face. “I’ve been waiting for you.” The words reverberated heavily in the air, like he was speaking from the bottom of a well.

Vaughn’s legs began to wobble at once, uneasy at how vulnerable they were out here, nothing secure to hang onto. Rhys just calmly grabbed his hand and helped him up to the platform. His grip was strong, certain. It instantly soothed Vaughn’s nerves, made him feel safe.

“I found a vault,” Rhys said. He wore the most calm and self-assured smile as he pointed out toward another large platform across from them. A giant arched portal of light sat on it, promising them treasures, power, and wishes granted. The only thing connecting it to their platform was a thin metal beam. Vaughn couldn’t believe it when Rhys ushered them forward to cross on it.

He planted himself with a shudder as Rhys took one step onto the beam that was barely as wide as his foot.

“Hm?” Rhys turned and chuckled good-naturedly at the horrified look on Vaughn’s face. “You aren’t scared, are you? Just keep holding my hand.” He turned to continue forward. “I won’t let you go.”

Vaughn closed his eyes and took a breath, summoning all his courage. He tried to focus on Rhys’s hand in his, as they began the slow journey down the narrow path. Keeping balance was easier than he thought it might be, at least. Rhys appeared to be having no trouble at all. His steps were slow but deliberate and even.

“Shouldn’t you be the one afraid of this?” Vaughn ventured to speak, thinking of the man’s fear of heights.

No response. Rhys continued moving forward, as if he hadn’t even heard the question. They proceeded steadily toward the goal in front of them. Feeling awkward at the silence, Vaughn dared a glance down.

Pandora was beneath them – enormous and dark, glowing with eridium in spots and ringed softly in light from a distant sun. It was beautiful from afar, but on the surface it was a barbaric place filled with harsh landscapes, gangs of insane bandits, and unspeakable monsters. Now so close below them, it almost seemed to threaten to swallow them whole.

Suddenly the beam trembled violently. Vaughn fought to keep his balance, suddenly aware that Rhys had let go of his hand and was continuing forward without him.

“Rhys?!”

Still no response. The beam trembled again, and Vaughn found himself tipping to the side, about to fall.

“RHYS!”

The man slowly stopped to turn his head, but far too late. Vaughn’s feet slipped and he tumbled toward the darkness below.

Vaughn startled awake with a small yelp, arms thrashing in his blankets and heart pounding. The never ending darkness that he fell into faded into the solid walls of his bedroom. Everything was still and silent. He was safe. Vaughn sat up, folding his legs toward himself and putting his head in his hands. It was just a nightmare…

Before he knew it, though, his eyes were stinging with tears and his frightened breaths had turned into sobs. He crumpled a fistful of blanket over his mouth in attempt to conceal the noise in the small apartment. If Rhys heard it, he’d be so ashamed. For a few minutes he quietly cried it out, trying to remind himself that it was just a dream while also knowing that it was becoming more and more like reality by the day.

Somewhere in the midst of his sadness, the echo on his nightstand had beeped. Vaughn finally rubbed the blanket at his now sore eyes and grabbed the device to see what it was. A message from Rhys illuminated the screen:

_Bro I went out and got some ginger ale and crackers for you since you’re feeling sick. Going to bed now but wake me up if you need anything._

Sniffling and sighing, Vaughn turned off the screen and rested his forehead against the device. Why did someone so caring have to get mixed up with a jerk like Handsome Jack?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter; it's hard to write about sad Vaughn. I originally had Yvette being tougher on him (being a terrible friend is kind of her character), but it was coming off a little too mean-spirited lol. She's fun to write, though.
> 
> Vaughn's nightmare is based on the song "Tightrope," which I think fits his relationship with Rhys really well. ...I was watching the Greatest Showman while first starting to write this story. XD
> 
> Next time - a bit more angst as things continue to develop, before someone has had enough!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette takes Vaughn out drinking, to mixed results.

Later that next week at work, Rhys met Vaughn and Yvette in the cafeteria for lunch. He sauntered up to the table with a tray of food in hand and troubled expression.

“Well, look who decided to join us,” Yvette teased. The day before, he hadn’t shown up, sending a message later that he’d gotten busy around lunchtime.

“Yeah, that was…you know, work,” he stammered. When Yvette scoffed knowingly, he chuckled a little. Vaughn immediately had to shoot down any mental images that tried to form in his mind. Office sex, really?!

“But, uh…” Rhys said, ducking his head. “I might have messed things up.”

“Prematurely?” Yvette snarked, earning a playful cuff on the arm from Rhys. Vaughn half-heartedly pretended to laugh along, but his ears were well perked.

“It’s just, I saw him in the hallway this morning, and decided to say hi, you know? But when I did, he stared at me like he’d never seen me before! He didn’t say anything, just looked angry the longer I stood there. So I kept moving.” He shrugged, posture drooping as he recalled the story. “I guess maybe he wasn’t wanting me to acknowledge the two of us in public.”

Despite holding some fresh hope that Jack was ending things with Rhys, Vaughn felt defensive at the story. “Sounds pretty arrogant,” he muttered.

“Anyway, I don’t know. Hopefully I didn’t piss him off too much. It’s not like he ever said _not_ to say anything to him.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a forlorn expression.

“He’s got an image to maintain,” Yvette reasoned. “Can’t be seen acting sweet with you around the other executives.”

“I guess,” Rhys mumbled as he started to pull the wrapper off his sandwich. “I didn’t mean to draw attention, or anything.”

Vaughn observed his friend with a sting of pity. Rhys deserved far better treatment, but at the same time, what had he expected? It was Handsome Jack. Average people like them were probably just pawns to him, tools in a greater scheme. At least, maybe Rhys would come down now and realize that anything like affection or romance was a far cry from what he was going to get from that egomaniac.

Unfortunately, that night Rhys was right back at Jack’s again, later explaining that Jack had dismissed the incident as a simple misunderstanding. Vaughn had several valid questions for that – like how there could have been a misunderstanding when Jack was looking Rhys dead in the eye, but the excuse was regrettably enough for Rhys. The man continued on his merry way and continued to see Jack over the next several days as usual. Vaughn fretted as he noted how the stays were becoming more frequent and for longer at a time when they happened.

By the end of another week with too much time alone in the apartment with only the weighty knowledge of Rhys’s escapades for company, Vaughn was well worn down. Yvette had walked in the door for their weekly hangout, only to take one look at him and insist that she wasn’t willing to spend one more night watching him mope. She forced him up and into some halfway decent clothes so the two could go out to one of the bars on Helios.

Vaughn sat begrudgingly with her at the counter, scowling out at the forms of other people in the dimly lit place. It wasn’t overly large or crowded, which was a mercy. The beat of some high-tempo song pulsed through the air, and a small crowd of people danced to it in an area off toward the back. A few couples could be seen making out in the darker corners of the space. Vaughn swallowed apprehensively.

“All right,” Yvette sang, brandishing a couple of golden-colored drinks that she’d coaxed him to buy for them. “Let’s loosen up and have a good time, okay?” She passed one of the drinks to him with a look of satisfaction. Vaughn sighed and started to sip at it.

“Maybe we can even get you home with somebody here.”

Vaughn choked and sputtered, setting the beverage down.

“I’m just saying,” Yvette said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Get in bed with somebody yourself and you’ll be over Rhys in no time.”

Vaughn groaned. She had no idea how wrong that would be.

Yvette put her hand to her mouth and scanned him over. Her eyes squinted critically. “Can’t you ever wear a different pair of glasses? You look like one of those freaks from R&D!” Without asking permission, she reached forward and grabbed the gear off of his head.

“Well now I can’t see,” Vaughn grumbled.

“You’ve heard of contacts, right?”

“Contacts can’t calculate equations and process transactions.”

Yvette thoughtfully hefted the glasses in her hands, as if trying to guess their weight. “You could always do like Rhys and get a cybernetic implant. Way cooler.”

“No!” Vaughn almost shouted, snatching the glasses back. Rhys’s decision to give up his arm and eye just to have an advantage over the competition at Hyperion had been incredibly upsetting for Vaughn, even more than the man’s current lack of better judgment. The last thing he ever wanted himself or his friends to do was let Hyperion scientists lop off or drill into parts of their body.

Yvette raised her hands defensively. “All right, all right,” she huffed. “I read you, loud and clear.” She stopped to scorn at him again. “At least unbutton your shirt a bit. You look ready for a formal ball, not a good time.”

Vaughn sighed but surrendered as she reached over and swiftly started to undo the top few buttons on his shirt. He just hoped maybe this would finally placate her.

“There you go!” she said, tugging the material aside to reveal a little more chest than Vaughn thought was tasteful. Suddenly she froze, frowned, and then proceeded to yank his shirt forward and look down it with all the modesty of a dog shoving its nose into a stranger’s crotch.

“HEY!” Vaughn squawked, jerking backward. “Personal boundaries!” He threw his arms across his chest and eyed her with a scandalized expression.

“Holy _shit!_ ” Yvette exclaimed, eyes lit up with sudden excitement. She laughed a little, incredulous. “What the hell is that?!” Vaughn immediately set to rebuttoning his shirt despite her frantic waves for him to stop. “No, unbutton the whole thing. You’ll be having sex within an hour!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he snarled.

Yvette looked more delighted and amused than he’d ever seen her. “Don’t you dare give me that. Vaughn, you are _shredded_. Like, cut from the gods! That’s something you can’t just pretend you haven’t noticed.”

Vaughn huffed and rolled his eyes, still flustered by the whole situation. “I put an exercise bike in my office. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, to hell with that! You make it sound like a happy accident.”

“I use it a _lot_ ,” he clarified. Then he swiveled back toward the bar to signal end of conversation. Yvette still sat, stunned and watching him with wide eyes.

“Has Rhys seen that?”

“We live together. Yes.”

She slowly turned back to face the bar with him, blowing out an astounded whistle. Both of them took a long drink, Yvette probably to absorb what she just saw and Vaughn to forget that she had.

After the two took a few minutes to let the moment pass, Yvette turned to Vaughn again. “All right, look around. You find a guy you like, and I’ll figure out how to get him over. Let me be your wingman. Woman.”

That sounded terrible. “What happened to not wanting to play matchmaker?” he groaned while scanning the room to appease his friend.

“Well with Rhys, it’s nauseating. You want him to be your boyfriend. Finding a stranger to get into your pants is much more fun.”

Vaughn frowned, not understanding her logic. He looked over the group of people on the dance floor, barely more than silhouettes in the low lighting. A lot of the men seemed preoccupied with the women present. It wasn’t like many of them appeared to be his type, anyway. Life at Hyperion called for a special breed of people, and it didn’t average out to the best personality. There were mostly snobs and sociopaths to be found on the station.

“Vaaaughn,” Yvette drug out ominously. “If you don’t pick, I’ll do it for you!”

“Can’t we just have a few drinks together?”

“Last chance.”

“There’s not even anyone here who would really-“

Yvette was out of her seat before the sentence could be finished. Vaughn sighed heavily and turned for his drink. This was going to be painful.

It indeed was. Yvette brought over prospect after prospect, only for them to ignore him and relentlessly hit on her instead. At first it was disheartening to see the guys overlook or scoff at him, but as the two friends ordered more drinks and Vaughn got to see Yvette become increasingly bristled at their failures, it ended up pretty funny. She bitingly shot down all advances, and there was a pile of torn up phone numbers at her feet after a few hours.

“Your gaydar’s for shit,” he laughed with tears in his eyes as the latest victim stalked away. Yvette just latched her arm around his neck and gave him a ferocious noogie.

“I can’t stand this anymore!” she said, releasing him and stumbling from her seat. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Vaughn chuckled and blew out a satisfied sigh, only too happy to oblige.

The two slowly but steadily made their way back toward the housing sector of Helios, laughing at stupid things and struggling to keep their balance at times. Yvette was notably less drunk, though, and Vaughn realized she might have been sipping her drinks more while he’d guzzled them to get through the awkward night. At times she was forced to grab him by the scruff of the neck to keep them on their march toward home.

“All right, I’m dropping you off first,” she commanded, directing them down the hall that lead toward the two men’s apartment. She snagged Vaughn’s shirt collar to stop him from stumbling face first into a wall.

“You’re so nice,” Vaughn hummed. He felt his drunken state moving from loud goofiness to something slower and quietly giddy. The urge to lie down anywhere suitable and sleep was quickly growing.

By the time they got to the apartment, Vaughn’s eyelids were so heavy. He haphazardly dug the key card out of his pocket and swiped it across the scanner. The door swooshed open and he blindly stumbled inside – right into Rhys’s arms.

 “Whoa!” Rhys cried in surprise, catching his friend from a fall. Vaughn couldn’t help but feel more blissful at the contact than embarrassed. His face bumped comfortably into Rhys’s warm chest, the man’s long arms bracing and steadying him. Still, Vaughn’s better judgment caught up and he allowed himself to be righted to his feet.

“We got drunk,” was all he could think to report once they’d stepped back from each other.

Rhys snorted, looking over him with amusement. “Yeah, I can see that.” He directed Vaughn over to the couch, where the shorter man happily flopped down.

“Some of us more than others,” Yvette commented.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Vaughn mumbled. “It was her idea.”

“No kidding,” Rhys snickered helplessly. “Bro, I haven’t seen you this tanked since college. That’s hilarious.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Vaughn retorted flatly. He grabbed a blanket to pull over himself, noting how incredibly comfy the couch cushions felt in this moment. Maybe he and Rhys could watch a movie; they hadn’t hung out in a while and Vaughn missed him. It was a pleasant surprise to have him back for the night.

There was the sound of running water from the kitchen and Rhys came back with a large cup. He sat it on the living room table near Vaughn. “You should drink this before you fall asleep,” he said. “That hangover’s gonna hit you hard otherwise.” Vaughn gave a non-committal groan in response. Why did his pain-in-the-ass advice have to be so right?

Rhys stood up again, turning to Yvette. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“It’ll be on my way,” Rhys assured, kneeling down to pick a medium-sized duffel bag off the floor and sling it over his shoulder. “I was just heading out.” He then chuckled in that utterly pleased way that gave Vaughn a pit in his stomach these days.

“So, Jack and I are official. He’s my boyfriend now.”

Vaughn stopped breathing. The sound of Yvette’s excited response was far away as he nestled his face into the couch cushion to hide his anguish. “Wow,” was all he could quietly mumble. It couldn’t be real, though. It just couldn’t. He’d misheard. This was a bad dream. This wouldn’t happen.

But Rhys and Yvette were chatting away over the news, making it glaringly real with each comment. “Anyway,” Rhys said, “I just came back to pick up a change of clothes and stuff. Should probably be heading out.” The two turned for the door and he called, “See you, Vaughn! Seriously, drink that water.” A second later the door shut. All became dark and quiet.

Vaughn slowly sat up, significantly more sober as his heart thundered and a giant lump formed in his throat, clenching down into his chest. He eyed the plastic cup on the table before him.

Yeah, he should drink some water.

He robotically picked up the cup and started to drink. The only sound to be heard was his rushed breathing, muffled in the cup as he held it up to his face. A small light from the kitchen cast long shadows across the room. This was fine. He would just finish drinking this and fall asleep. There wasn’t anything more to do.

After a few minutes, there was a small notification sound from his pocket and he dug his echo out to see a message from Yvette.

_Sorry. : (_

Sorry for what, he wondered. He let the echo fall from his hand onto the couch beside him. It wasn’t like none of them could have seen this coming. It wasn’t like Rhys wasn’t banging Jack almost every day, anyway.

It wasn’t like Vaughn had ever stood a chance.

It wasn’t like anything he said would have made a difference.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to being picked over and rejected.

It wasn’t like Rhys would have stuck around with him forever.

Vaughn abruptly dropped the cup back onto the table, almost spilling it. His hands were shaking and the tears he so desperately didn’t want to show were now running down his cheeks. Rhys was the only reason he’d come to Hyperion in the first place, left home and given up safer opportunities to go live on this stupid space station.

He huddled up tight into the corner of the couch and started crying uncontrollably, feeling so stupid and so pathetic for ever wanting Rhys, for feeling so relentlessly sad while his friend moved on without him.

“F..fu…fuck…” he sobbed. Vaughn cried and cried until he was asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only supposed to be half of a chapter, but the whole thing was getting so long that I decided to split it.
> 
> Hopefully no one's getting sick of Yvette lol. I didn't intend for her to have this much time in the story but she kind of helps give Vaughn someone to interact with while Rhys is off...doing other things. I've really gotten to enjoy writing their back-and-forth dialogue, too.
> 
> The good news? Next chapter's mostly written, since I was originally trying to combine it with what happened in this one. I've just got to patch some things together and it will be up soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys starts to catch some of Vaughn's blues, while Yvette works to help keep their friend propped up.

A couple weeks later, Vaughn was struggling to get through the first official bro night Rhys had spent with him since Handsome Jack had shaken up their lives. It was a mix of feelings for him whenever Rhys spent time over at the apartment. Of course he was glad to have the man in his company; there was nothing Rhys could do that would ever change that. It didn’t mean that things weren’t difficult. Vaughn had to be constantly reminded of the situation, to have Rhys right in front of him, but solidly off limits now.

It was also a tough job to hide all the pain he was going through. Rhys had already caught on to Vaughn’s low moods a few times when they’d hung out, asking if he was all right. Vaughn had quickly deflected any concerns with assurances that he was just tired, or work was really stressful lately. He fought to try and act as normal as possible, knowing those excuses wouldn’t last him forever.

Over time, he found that denying his troubles wasn’t just to save face, though. There really was a change in Rhys since the night he’d shared being in a relationship with Jack. He didn’t just walk around with that stupid giddy smile, like the one he wore the first morning he’d come home after having sex. There was an honest contentment and cheer about him lately, unlike Vaughn had ever quite seen before. He didn’t want to take away from that by voicing his sorrows.

Luckily the night went by without any new questions asked. After playing some games and watching a movie, the two got ready to call it a night. For Rhys, this meant getting ready to go back to Jack’s. He damn near lived at the guy’s place these days, though had lately spent a bit more time at their apartment. Whenever he did stay, though, he would take a bag of things with him when he left. Nothing ever came back. It was an unpleasant sight for Vaughn each time, and silently he feared the day where Rhys would announce that moving out was official, too.

Vaughn walked into the kitchen to toss a couple of bottles into the recycling bin. It was only a drop of water in the bucket of how messy the apartment had gotten lately. Without Rhys around, Vaughn lost most of his motivation to keep things tidy. The two had never gone above and beyond when it came to keeping their home clean – it was a far cry from Yvette’s immaculate living space – but now there were dirty clothes and trash piled around. Vaughn had resorted to jokingly brushing off the mess with the same excuses he gave for his glum behavior. Too tired, too busy.

Rhys followed him into the kitchen to put some drinks away but stopped in his tracks. “Vaughn, when did you order this?” he asked, voice pitching up an octave. Vaughn turned to see him staring in horror at one of the takeout containers on the counter.

Oh no, when _was_ that one from…

“…Last week?” he answered reluctantly. Rhys pinched one flap of the box with his mechanical fingers and hovered it over to the trash can. “Wait, I’ll still eat it.”

Rhys disobediently dropped the container into the garbage. “That box had its own ecosystem, bro,” he said, scrunching his nose as the lid flipped down. “You shouldn’t eat that.” He turned to Vaughn then, rubbing the back of his neck with his metal hand and observing him with an expression like a sad puppy. Vaughn had known him long enough to read what that look meant.

_I’m worried._

Shit. So Rhys hadn’t said anything, but Vaughn still hadn’t gotten under his radar. He forced a laugh to try and break up the thick air between them. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe we should donate it to R&D instead; they’ll have a blast with it.”

Rhys wasn’t laughing. He leaned back against the counter, gaze falling downward. “I’m sorry for not being around much lately.” For the first time in weeks of bailing, he sounded like he genuinely meant it.

“It’s fine,” Vaughn said on reflex, too afraid of where this conversation could go and trying to defuse it. Rhys just shook his head.

“No, it’s not. I miss you.”

Vaughn swallowed thickly as a few seconds of silence passed. He wasn’t sure if he could respond without his voice cracking, but couldn’t leave Rhys’s admission hanging like that. “Miss you, too,” he said softly.

That earned a weak smile from the cybernetic man, one that made Vaughn’s heart sting at the sight. Before he could think of what to say or do next, Rhys walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. Vaughn eagerly threw his arms around in return, reacting quickly to the surprise embrace. He pressed his head to Rhys’s shoulder, wanting and needing the physical contact so badly. His body almost ached with it.

Several seconds passed before they parted, much longer than any of the casual hugs they’d had before, but Vaughn was still hurting when they had to let go. To his surprise, Rhys also looked a bit wounded. He blinked quickly and looked off to the side. “I, uh…” he said, before finally managing to look back at Vaughn. “I’ll be in touch with you soon. Okay?”

Vaughn just nodded, stunned at their interaction and unable to do much more until Rhys had left. He sunk to the kitchen floor once alone, wishing terribly that Rhys would just hold him like that all night.

…

The rest of the weekend passed and nothing more was heard from Rhys. Vaughn was a disheveled mess on the couch by the time Yvette came over late Sunday afternoon. The two hadn’t hung out since their night at the bar, Vaughn declining any invitations in favor of staying home and moping in peace. Today, though, she’d insisted on coming over. As soon as she saw him she put her hands on her hips and sighed.

“All of this still because of Rhys? Really?!”

Vaughn nodded grimly.

“Vaughn, I’m telling you. Rhys will look out for us once he’s rolling in it. Handsome Jack’s money, that is. Not Handsome Jack’s bed.”

“Stop talking or I will chase you out of this apartment,” Vaughn growled. The threat only made Yvette smirk.

“Easy, grumpy puss. I’m just trying to make light of the situation.”

Vaughn drug himself to his feet and made his way over to Yvette, plopping his face against her as his only source of comfort. Unfortunately their height difference meant he landed on her breast.

“ _Whoa_ ,” she seethed. “Okay.”

Vaughn just sniffled, unable to muster up the will to move or care. Yvette dropped her arms and sighed.

“All right, come on, don’t cry,” she mumbled, giving him a couple tentative pats on the shoulder. After a moment, “Vaughn, seriously. Stop. You’re making me uncomfortable.”

Vaughn finally stepped back, embarrassed and eyes filled with tears but he couldn’t help it. “I don’t know what to do,” he squeaked.

Yvette scrunched her nose, unapologetically fanning her hand in front of her face. “Well, first you’re going to go get a damn shower. How long has it been?!”

Vaughn looked toward the ceiling, trying to will his memory to work. The days had all sort of blended together lately. When he did finally complete the math, he kept his mouth shut. Yvette didn’t need to know that.

After it was obvious there was no answer, Yvette put her hands on her hips. “When was the last time you ate?”

That was a little easier to calculate. “This morning,” he mumbled. Yvette immediately jabbed a finger at him.

“Now what have we talked about?” she snapped. “What did I say?!”

Vaughn rolled his eyes miserably. “Even if you’re sad, you’ve still gotta eat,” he recited. Yvette had made a point to message him that several times over the past few weeks, food ever high on her priority list.

“That’s right,” Yvette said, holding a hand up to shield her face. “Now we’ll work on that after you get cleaned up. I’m gonna go back to my place and grab some air freshener.”

Vaughn huffed grumpily and slowly stalked toward the bathroom.

“And Vaughn?”

He turned, seeing Yvette stopped halfway out the door to observe him. They regarded each other for a few moments.

“Soap, rinse, and soap again.”

“Just get out of here.”

A short while later, Vaughn was tossing dried pasta into a pot of boiling water while Yvette watched. Once he had thoroughly washed himself (twice) and gotten himself into a set of rumpled but clean clothes, he’d come down the hall to see a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce sitting on the counter. Yvette had wasted no time putting him to work, despite his protests of wanting to just order in or grab something from the fridge.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” she commented as he stirred in the pasta.

“Should you be the one cooking for me?” he whined. “I’m sad!”

“Don’t question my methods,” she said, handing him the salt shaker. “Now you’ll get to eat a home cooked meal, _and_ feel accomplished by doing it. Go you!”

Vaughn gave her a savage side eye as he salted the water.

“See? The life is coming back to you already.”

“You keep taunting me, and I’m going to spit some life into the food.”

“Do that, and I’ll upturn this pan of sauce all over your dumb head.” The two snorted at once with laughter, and she shoved at his shoulder playfully.

Speaking of the sauce, Vaughn remembered to sprinkle in some extra dried oregano for flavor. He and Rhys swore that it made the dish complete, though maybe it just helped them feel like they really contributed. As he shook some of the leaves into the sauce, Yvette nudged another spice container toward him.

“What’s that?”

Yvette grinned. “Red pepper flakes. Give it a little kick.”

“Ugh, it’s spaghetti. It doesn’t need a kick.”

“ _You_ need a kick. Just put in a little – please? For your dear friend and confidante?”

Vaughn rolled his eyes and handed the container back to her. “Ingrate,” she snarked before lunging forward to rapidly shake flakes into the sauce. Vaughn laughed and batted her hand away.

Despite not being the best shoulder to cry on, at least Yvette was fun to be around, he supposed. While he still really wanted to crawl back into bed, it was refreshing to get out of his head for a bit and feel normal. Hanging out together was a reminder that not _everything_ had changed.

Soon the two were seated at the small kitchen table and digging into the spaghetti. “This is good,” Vaughn commented after taking a few bites and catching the added spice.

“Told ya,” Yvette said smugly as she twisted her fork in the pasta.

Vaughn paused, slowly sinking in his chair a bit. “Thanks for coming around,” he mumbled. Yvette quirked her head at him. “I know I haven’t really been fun to hang out with lately.”

“Ah, you’ve been with me through worse.”

Vaughn smirked mischievously. “The great food poisoning incident?”

Yvette at once looked like she’d bitten into a lemon. “Agh, no! Don’t say it!” The reaction made Vaughn chuckle a bit. It had been a rough time for Yvette last year when she’d dared to eat sushi from the cafeteria. The woman had spent the better part of a week living in her bathroom, and was totally dependent on Vaughn for resources and company. He’d stayed over at her place the entire time, slipping magazines under the door and offering blankets, glasses of water, and bowls of jello. As a fellow foodie, he’d sympathized heavily with her pain of not being able to ingest much without frightening results. Rhys had stuck to buying anything Yvette needed and delivering it to Vaughn, while also messaging them both from a distance.

Now Yvette was taking care of him a bit, too, though. “Really,” he murmured, “thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yvette said with a roll of her eyes, though her face wore a smile. She pointed her fork at him. “I’m going to call you at ten tonight, and you’d better be in bed. Not on the couch – _bed_. In your pajamas. Or in the buff. However the hell you sleep, just not in your damn clothes. And brush your teeth first.”

Now it was Vaughn’s turn to roll his eyes. “Stop. I’ll never remember all this for the exam.”

That night after giving video confirmation to Yvette that he was indeed in bed, Vaughn forced himself to lie down and try to get some sleep. He wondered how long Rhys and Jack were going to be together. No matter what, though, he swore to himself that if there was ever the right chance again, that he would tell Rhys how he felt. He wouldn’t take him for granted anymore, living with the obliviousness that he would always be there. He would make sure Rhys knew.

That was the only comfort that could lull him into sleep that night.

…

The next morning, Vaughn was in a deep fog. He’d still gotten restless sleep, after all, and the numbers on his screen were blurring together. Usually his work was a nice distraction, but today he couldn’t focus, didn’t want to. He still hadn’t heard anything from Rhys, and it was gnawing at him. Hopefully they’d have a chance to chat at lunch today.

Setting his glasses on his desk, Vaughn leaned back to rub at his eyes. He was going to need another cup of coffee to get through the morning. It had been too long a night, and if he made it to the end of this day without falling asleep, it was going to be a real accomplishment.

As he went to put his glasses back on, there was the sound of his office door swooshing open.

Ugh, who in the hell…

Handsome Jack marched through the threshold. He made three quick, heavy steps to Vaughn’s desk, slamming open palms onto the surface in a move that nearly made Vaughn faint. Jack loomed forward and scrutinized the frozen man like a deadly predator, those sharp eyes carefully starting at his waist and traveling upward until they met eyes. When he spoke, his voice was like a threatening growl.

“Hello, there.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Vaughn X.D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn is abducted by Handsome Jack, but things don't go quite how he would expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert: Jack is a huge asshole.

Vaughn’s eyelids fluttered. Oh no, he wasn’t passing out. Why wasn’t he passing out? He really wanted to pass out. Handsome Jack was probably going to kill him at any second. Jack stared and then spoke again, a bit louder. “Got a problem talking?”

Vaughn wanted to respond. He really did. His whole mind and body of nerves were demanding an immediate answer, but his throat was locked as if held in a vice. The most pathetic whining sound was all that strangled out.

After a few more agonizing seconds of silence, Jack’s brow arched. “BOO!” he roared, and Vaughn immediately flailed and shrieked. His chair slipped out from underneath him and he landed on his butt on the floor. Jack’s loud laughs simultaneously filled the office.

Despite his terror, Vaughn felt a sprig of irritation as he slowly worked himself back up to peek over the desk. This guy had already well met every asshole expectation he’d ever had of him.

“Oh, ho ho, ha!...Hoo…” Jack cried, doubled over in laughter. Vaughn swallowed, shaking and a little pissed at the sight. He felt like a mouse being batted around by a cat before it sunk teeth into its neck.

Finally the older man straightened up and cleared his throat. A delighted grin was spread across his masked features. “All right, kiddo. Chill out. I’m here to have a chat with you.” The sharp edge to the word “chat” still made Vaughn’s nerves wriggle, but he worked to sit himself back up in his chair. Jack meanwhile turned in a slow 360, taking in long, critical views of his surroundings. The office wasn’t terribly interesting, Vaughn’s most notable addition being the exercise bike in the front corner. A couple hanging photos of moon beach scenery were all that decorated the walls – a stark contrast from Rhys’s office that was plastered in tacky Hyperion posters. From the look on Jack’s face, he didn’t find it especially remarkable.

Just when Vaughn started to release a breath he’d been holding, Jack’s attention whirled back and the man was towering over his desk again. Those intense eyes were like daggers on him. “Been talking with Rhysie over the weekend,” he began, casually sweeping all of Vaughn’s carefully placed work supplies aside so he could hop up to sit on the desk. The CEO leaned forward, voice low and dangerous. “You got a thing for my boyfriend?”

Vaughn’s brain locked up completely and couldn’t produce an answer he thought would save him. He yelped when a strong hand came down onto his shoulder and squeezed. “And he says you’re not the biggest fan of me,” Jack growled.

Holy shit, _holy_ _shit_ , what had Rhys been telling this madman?! Vaughn barely dared to breathe, bracing himself for the inevitable violence. All his vital organs felt like they were hopping to try and get out of his body before Jack smashed it to a pulp. Several seconds passed as he trembled uncontrollably, and Jack just bore eyes into him.

“You think I’m going to kill you?”

Vaughn swallowed dryly. The best he could do was give a small, terrified nod. Surely now, it would happen. Instead, Jack just grunted in affirmation and that forceful hand on his shoulder gave him a little shake. When Vaughn dared to peek up, he saw a toothy grin on the man’s face. “Well lucky for you, I’ve got different plans.”

Jack then released him and hopped off the desk, as if they’d just been casually hanging out. “Come on, up on your feet! Let’s go have a drink. You’re gonna have to loosen up so we can have a conversation. Not that I don’t dig the listening type, but right now you’re a goddamn mute, and we’ve gotta fix that.”

Vaughn had no clue how to comprehend the situation as he forced himself onto legs that were like jelly. Have a drink with Handsome Jack – CEO of Hyperion, his official love rival, and boss? The strangeness of drinking at nine in the morning was lost in the tides of greater impossibilities here.

As he stood and dazedly approached, Jack’s eyebrows rose. “Whoa,” he huffed with a disbelieving laugh, “you are _short!_ ” He scanned Vaughn head to toe shamelessly. “Have you even got five feet on ya?”

Vaughn frowned, despite the circumstances. “Five foot one,” he mumbled.

Suddenly Jack stepped close – _real_ close, to the point where Vaughn shuddered on instinct. The scent of some spicy-smelling cologne hit his nostrils. “Hmm,” Jack hummed critically as he inspected their height difference. Meanwhile Vaughn could only blink in dumbfounded shock. Jack was so close, he could almost feel the man’s body heat. It was terrifying, as he’d always found Jack, but something about their proximity was also causing a new sort of feeling. Whatever it was made his cheeks redden until Jack abruptly stepped away.

“All right, shortcake. Drinks. Now.”

...

Somehow Vaughn managed to not collapse on the way to the bar. Jack had walked him out of accounting, which was apparently a surreal sight to his coworkers. The other accountants had steered well clear, shrinking to the sides and gaping as they’d passed. Vaughn hoped they wouldn’t pilfer his office, assuming that a personal visit from Handsome Jack could only mean death.

But didn’t it?

Twenty minutes ago, Vaughn would have been sure it did, but here he was sitting in a booth across from his murder-happy boss. There was no one else in the establishment; Jack had made sure of that. Only the bartender stayed long enough to pour a couple glasses of whiskey at Jack’s demand before parting. Now the drinks sat between them and Jack nudged one toward Vaughn impatiently.

“You trying to absorb it through your eyes?”

Vaughn immediately grabbed for the glass with shaking fingers and tipped it back against his lips. He smothered all the protests in his head that he didn’t like whiskey, while the burning liquid hit his tongue and throat. Jack had let him live so far, but that was probably not going to last much longer if he kept aggravating him.

Across the table, Jack easily sipped his own drink while eyeing Vaughn. “Not much of a drinker?”

Great. Vaughn still couldn’t hide his reaction from this guy. “It’s not that,” he said, finally finding words. The strong alcohol made his voice crack. “I usually drink, uh, wine or beer or something.” When Jack huffed he quickly added, “But th-this is fine.” Was that rambling too much?

Jack leaned forward and studied him intensely. “Never hurts to broaden your horizons, does it?” he husked. Vaughn went rigid in his seat, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean when Jack leaned back again and continued casually.

“I mean, whiskey’s strong – of course – but that’s the appeal to a lot of people. It overpowers you in the best way. Whiskey can help you loosen up and have a good time. In fact, I’m pretty sure everyone on this damn station enjoys whiskey – except for you, of course. It’s like working in a freakin’ whiskey factory. I mean, what do you expect?” A flicker of interest passed through his eyes. “If Rhys asked you to drink whiskey with him, you would, right?”

Vaughn stared, his brain still chasing its tail. If heartbreak, terror, and now alcohol weren’t enough to muddy his brain, Jack’s weird rambling sure was. He had no idea what the guy was trying to get at with all this. “I…” he started slowly. “I guess?” Hearing Jack drop Rhys’s name so casually also bummed him out a bit. It made everything that happened the past several weeks much more real.

Whatever his motive was, Jack flashed perfect teeth at that answer. “Right! It pays to be adventurous. Take me, for example. Now I don’t really drink wine. Weak stuff. But if Rhys wanted me to…” His gaze drifted slightly in thought. “Well, I’ve introduced him to some crazy drinks. And he’s shown to have good taste. But if I were to give in and have some wine…” In one smooth movement he leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. “I’d have to be sure that this was one damn, fine wine.” His voice was somewhere between a murmur and a growl when he finished.

Vaughn had no idea how to respond to the nonsensical rant. If Jack was trying to confuse him, it had worked a long time ago. The best he could think of was to opt for agreement. “Sure?” he squeaked.

That seemed to appease the tyrant. The edge of his mouth twitched into an approving smirk. “So tell me the story, kiddo. What’s your deal? Where are you from? How did you get here?” He swished the whiskey in his glass thoughtfully. “How in the hell did you come to be such good friends with a guy like Rhys?”

Vaughn’s mouth dropped open dumbly at the torrent of questions. Why Handsome Jack, ruler of this huge ass space station, wanted to know anything about his boring life story was beyond him. He tucked sweaty palms underneath his knees and cleared his throat. “I, um…” he began, still trying to fully find his voice. “I’m from Eden 4. Rhys and I went to college there. We met on the Hackathon team.”

Jack rudely snorted at that, but was still grinning, so Vaughn continued. “Uh, then I came here. W-we both did.” He sunk in his seat a little, feeling sad over talking about Rhys in front of the guy who had wrenched him away. Was this just Jack’s way of twisting the knife?

There was a pause before Jack frowned and waved his hand. “And?” The impatient tone made Vaughn tense up again. He struggled to scrounge for whatever detail Jack was wanting.

“And uh, I went into accounting here. I was good in my coding classes, but I, I really like math.” His cheeks flushed at how incredibly lame and pathetic that sounded. There really was something about crunching numbers that put him in the zone, though, made him feel real accomplished and soothed his nerves. If Jack let him leave this bar alive, he was definitely ready to pour through some spreadsheets to take the edge off.

Jack leaned back with a dull expression and folded his arms. “Tell me you like something other than math.”

Vaughn shifted, trying to skirt around the fact that Rhys was probably next up on his list of likes. “Um, food,” he blurted.

“You cook?”

Vaughn couldn’t keep the embarrassed blush from his face. “M-more the eating part, I guess. I’m not picky.” The stuff he’d grubbed on in the past would probably appall this rich bastard. He’d practically made a game out of eating questionable things just to get Rhys’s horrified and hilarious reactions – a meatball that had rolled onto the floor, leftovers in the fridge they couldn’t quite remember what day they were from, and one of those infamous shuggarath filets that were available after Hyperion had exterminated a large colony on Elpis. Surprisingly palatable.

Jack tilted his head curiously. “What’s your favorite?”

“Food? Um, my favorite is spaghetti, though I pretty much like any kind of pasta. And donuts. That one place Wake and Bake has the best. Like, any flavor you can think of.” Vaughn found himself smiling a little at the thought, before coming back to the moment and wondering why the hell he was sharing all this. Maybe the whiskey was having an effect on his inhibitions. Before he could stop himself, he asked, “What’s yours?”

Jack looked up from a swig of his own drink. “Well, nothing beats a perfectly grilled steak. Kid, you’d weep if you had the kind of food I can have catered at a moment’s notice. Like if you said shrimp fried rice, it would be here before you could blink.” He paused, seeming expectant for awe and adoration that Vaughn wasn’t going to give. When cries of ass-kissing didn’t follow, he shrugged and continued. “Of course, not like I need all that. You may think I have servants do everything, but I actually am as awesome in the kitchen as I am at anything else. Speaking of which…”

He reached forward and swept Vaughn’s half empty glass to the side. “I can tell you don’t like the whiskey, kitten,” he said before standing. “I make a mean cocktail even your shit taste should appreciate.” With only the slightest swagger from the alcohol intake, Jack walked toward and hopped over the bar. He quickly and efficiently started grabbing glasses and bottles. Vaughn just stared in shock, unable to believe that Handsome Jack was going to mix a drink especially for him.

“You see, kiddo, I don’t tolerate lying. You said the whiskey was fine, and maybe you were being polite. Hell, I’m pretty sure you only just now decided not to piss yourself in front of me. But the number one rule with me is, tell the damn truth. Always.” He unscrewed a couple caps and started pouring the mystery concoctions. “I read people better than anyone, so if you lie, I’ll know. At least you had enough sense not to bull shit me about your history.” He gave just a beat for Vaughn to put the pieces together. “Yeah, I read your company file, and background check. All about you, shortcake.” He glanced up and winked. “Five feet and three quarter inches.”

Vaughn stiffened, simultaneously horrified and outraged that Jack had researched him. When and how and most importantly, _why_ the hell?! “It rounds up,” he grumbled, still unable to help defending his height.

The small protest wasn’t bothered with as Jack came back around the bar to place two new bright blue drinks on the table. “Here you go,” he said, sliding back into his seat. “Blue darts. Rhys was all about these on our second date. You should like ‘em, too.”

Gingerly, Vaughn took the new beverage in his hand. He stared at the fluorescent blue liquid, fairly certain there was some sort of poison in it but not having much other option. When he tasted the drink, it was tart and strong, but tasty, like something he and Rhys had back in their college days. “It’s good,” he murmured honestly.

“Figured,” Jack commented with a grin while taking his own drink. “So, math and food. What else do you like? Give me a little more to work with. Something more interesting.”

Vaughn paused to breathe, not sure how to tell Jack that there wasn’t anything that interesting about him. What did he want – a claim that he sold rare guns on the black market, or ran a psycho-fighting ring on the side? “Uhhm,” he stalled. “I play video games a lot?”

Jack rolled his eyes – of course. “I figured that much. You’re a real multi-dimensional nerd.” He frowned and scratched at his nose in thought, before giving Vaughn another unapologetic scan with his eyes. Vaughn nervously tipped back more of the new drink to try and keep calm.

Finally Jack sat back and sighed. “All right. Got two more questions for you, short stop.” Vaughn’s hand shook as he set the drink back down.

“First – why do you not like me?” At the mention, Jack’s lip curled in a way that made the hair on Vaughn’s neck prickle. “I mean, it’s obvious you’re scared shitless of me. Just about every bastard on this station is, but they still adore me. So what’s your problem?”

Vaughn felt a cold sweat break out. What could he say – you’re the biggest douchebag in the galaxy? An egotistic, murderous sociopath? Oh, and you’re sleeping with my best friend, remember that little piece of information? He desperately funneled through the options, but each seemed to guarantee his death. Jack was going to wring the expensive alcohol out of his body like an old washrag.

Finally his mouth started working. Might as well just get on with it. “You just seem not v-very…” he cleared his throat, “…um, nice.” It was the most feeble way he could put it, but saying it still caused him to tremble.

Jack snorted in dissent. “So I pull you from your boring ass work, clear a bar just to treat you to drinks, and I’m ‘not nice?’”

Vaughn licked his lips, staring incredulously. “You fired a bullet into the ceiling and told everyone to scram.” He had somehow not pissed himself in that moment – a real accomplishment. The few patrons there at the early hour had comically tripped over themselves to get out.

A smirk hit Jack’s lips. “Ah, that’s just how I make an entrance. The king doesn’t ask politely. Why do you think I am where I am right now? By the way, you’re welcome. If I hadn’t built Hyperion to the top of the food chain, you and Rhys would probably be a couple of shitheads working for Dahl.”

Vaughn couldn’t hold back a laugh at that, the visual tickling him. “I guess you’re right about that.”

“You guess?” Jack scoffed, though there was a hint of honest amusement in his eyes. Vaughn caught himself a little at the expression. It almost seemed like Jack was genuinely enjoying the conversation. Was the guy just trying to get him to let his guard down?

“Look, I’m not going to deny being an asshole. The industry calls for it. It’s how I get shit done. But you’d better believe I take care of my own.” His gaze turned intense, as if wanting the point to hit home. Vaughn shrunk a little. Of course, he was referring to Rhys. Was this the part where Jack was going to tell him to stay away?

“Now you,” Jack continued after a moment, “I’d peg you as just a dweeb.”

The insult cut through Vaughn in a way he’d spent most of his life wishing words like that wouldn’t. Of course, Handsome Jack would see him that way. Still, the man continued.

“But you’re not that bad, either. You’re…” He bobbed his head to the sides thoughtfully, as if trying to shake out the rest of his thought, “…surprisingly tolerable. There, you see? We can let go of some of our negative impressions of each other.

“Now last question. This is actually a repeat from earlier, but I’d like to think you’re loosened up enough to answer me this time.” Jack leaned forward, gaze focused intently, punctuating his words. “Do you have a thing for Rhys?” After observing Vaughn’s immediate trepidation he added, “Silence is not a valid option.”

That was the last thing Vaughn wanted to answer. He wondered which was scarier – admitting the truth or trying to lie to the powerful man. Either one would probably invite violence. If Jack clearly already suspected as much of him, though, it wouldn’t do any favors to try and hide it from him now. “I…” he fumbled, voice shaking. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

Vaughn sucked in a deep breath, blinking rapidly and trying to muster the will to say that again. “Yes, I like Rhys,” he blurted. His clothes were going to end up soaked with sweat at this rate. Before he could try to begin explaining that he wasn’t out to sabotage their relationship, Jack tossed back the rest of his drink and clinked the glass on the table.

“Okay,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Huh?” Vaughn squeaked. The casual response was unnerving. He braced himself for Jack to pull out a firearm and cap him with it. Instead, the guy just grinned.

“Yup. Interview’s over. What happens next is up to you.” He rose to his feet, frowning slightly when Vaughn flinched on instinct. “First of all, you need to knock that shit off. If I wanted to kill you, it would have happened as soon as I walked into your office. There’s no way I would have wasted all this time and alcohol if that was my plan. You think I don’t have better shit to do?” He huffed and shook his head.

“So here’s the deal. If you’re piss terrified of me and the past hour hasn’t changed your mind, then go ahead back to your office. No hard feelings, we’ll pretend this never happened. You can enjoy your accounting shit and won’t be hassled by me again. Back to your regular life.

“Or, you can follow me. See how much more interesting things can get when you hang around Handsome Jack.” With a smug grin, Jack turned and began to stride out of the bar. Vaughn watched in stunned silence as the dangerous man walked away without so much as a glance back.

Immediately Vaughn was hit with relief; this whole encounter had left his body rubbery and numb with anxiety. Now was his chance to get the crazy guy out of his hair. No matter how much Jack claimed to be playing nice, Vaughn just couldn’t believe it. Handsome Jack would never be nice to him, not on a good day. But adding in that Vaughn had just confessed feelings for his new boyfriend, it definitely indicated that Jack had some ulterior motive. His entire brain was firing off alarms and waving red flags, telling him to get away.

All that aside, though, something serious was going on here. Jack had researched him, taken the time to question him. And more importantly, Rhys had been divulging information to Jack. How much and what kind, Vaughn wasn’t sure, but it was enough to prompt this surprise visit. Why would Rhys do that? Were his cybernetics hacked, just like Vaughn had feared from the beginning?

Every inch of him was exhausted and worn down by everything that had happened this morning, but maybe this was finally his chance to get some answers. And when it involved Rhys, Vaughn could never bring himself to say no.

He pushed himself to his feet, ready to follow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two tho. XD
> 
> This is where I actually started writing the story. I had so many ideas for how Vaughn could encounter Jack and what their first interactions would be like. It was probably the biggest pull for me to write this entire thing. Vaughn's scared and Jack kind of wants to change his mind but also can't help playing around with him lol.
> 
> Fun fact: the name Vaughn literally means "small." That's adorable.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn follows Jack deeper down the rabbit hole. He starts to question his decision to come along for this, as things get stranger and stranger.

Jack was talking on his echo when Vaughn caught up, stumbling just a little from the buzz of alcohol in his body.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, cupcake,” the CEO drawled casually into the device. Upon catching sight of Vaughn, he gleefully swung an arm around his shoulders. “There he is!” Jack bellowed. Vaughn didn’t know his vocal chords were even capable of producing such an un-manly sound as the muscular arm seized and gripped him close. Luckily Jack seemed unfazed by the reaction as he continued them forward. He chuckled at something the person on the other end of the line said. “Look, we’ll be up there in fifteen minutes. Get those cute buns moving, sweetheart!” The grin was audible in his words as he clicked off the echo.

Vaughn frowned, blushing furiously at being wedged tightly into the man’s underarm. His heart hammered at the close contact with someone so dangerous, but now the call had his curiosity. “Was that Rhys?” he murmured, irked about Jack commenting on his best friend’s buns.

“Hah?” Jack responded. “Nah, that wasn’t Rhys. This is someone I’m going to introduce you to. Just you wait.”

Vaughn couldn’t hold back a small huff through his nose. Waiting was all he’d been doing since Jack appeared that morning. Why the hell had Jack referred to that person as “sweetheart”? Maybe it was just a general Jack way of talking, every sentence acting as either a threat or a come on. It still bothered Vaughn, though not as much as the insistent arm still locked firmly around his shoulders. It was almost embarrassing, more and more people crossing paths with them as they neared the main hub of Helios. None of the onlookers were bold enough to laugh or make a comment in Jack’s presence, at least. If any of them were someone he knew, though, he’d be the target of gossip and rumors for months.

As they marched along, something else started bothering Vaughn. Despite all the fear and frustration, a small part of him was instinctively enjoying being pressed to Jack’s side. He could smell the leather of his jacket, feel the heat of his body through the layers of clothing. The way Jack had him pulled in so close, it almost looked like they were…

No, no, no, no, no. It had just been too long since Vaughn had been involved with someone. All the loneliness and deprivation of Rhys the last few weeks must have had him desperate for human contact. There was no way he was going to swoon like some stupid fanboy.

Luckily Jack decided then to talk, breaking up his unwanted feelings. “So, what got you to not chicken out?” The blunt phrasing further helped to snuff out any fuzziness Vaughn was feeling.

“I’m just curious,” he answered truthfully. “I don’t understand why you’re doing all of this.”

“Oh, you’ll find out soon,” Jack said with a pleased tone. “But get used to that feeling. I’m full of surprises.”

They crossed a threshold into the Hub of Heroism, the enormous center of Helios acting as a bit of a mall for the Hyperion employees. Stores, eating places, and other businesses lined walls as far as the eye could see. Bright lights poured down from a ceiling several stories high, illuminating metal stairs and walkways, fountains, and the occasional finely trimmed shrub so the employees didn’t completely go mad from living in a barren space station. The crowds weren’t as bad as when Vaughn would pass through at lunchtime to meet Rhys and Yvette, not that it would have mattered as every employee immediately made room when seeing Jack. Most of them gawked comically when they saw Vaughn latched to his side like a barnacle.

“So tell me, shortcake,” Jack spoke in a slightly lowered voice, “how good are you at keeping secrets?”

“I don’t really have anyone to tell,” Vaughn admitted. The only people he really hung out with were Rhys and Yvette. The three scarcely had secrets to keep amongst them, in the first place. They generally told each other everything with no censoring, openly ribbing or consoling each other, usually gathered in his and Rhys’s apartment sharing take-out and drinks.

The thought of it made him sad. It seemed like things might never be that way again.

Jack just seemed to grip him tighter, if that was at all possible. “Good,” he commented. “Bunch of horseshit gossiping in this place. I’m all for people speculating over my awesomeness, but the mystery needs to stay what it is. You know what I mean?”

At once he let go, so abruptly that Vaughn felt a little stunned at the lack of contact. They’d stopped in front of the large elevator that lead up to Jack’s office. The CEO casually scanned his fingerprint and the large doors swooshed to either side, revealing a rounded interior of red velvet interspersed with small lights. Hyperion employees only ever caught glimpses of the lift’s inside; it was rumored that anyone who’d been called up to Jack’s office never came back alive.

Well, this was certainly a morning of firsts. Vaughn followed Jack within, admittedly a little awestruck. It was only steps away from the public hub, but already there was an intense aura of privilege, like they’d walked into an entirely different place. Even the smell was a little fresher, a scent carrying luxury.

Jack pressed a button to shut the door, but didn’t input a level. Instead he just turned on Vaughn, face at once completely serious. “Look, kiddo,” he began, “the person you’re about to meet is the best kept secret on this damn station. No one knows about him, no one talks about him.” The hint of a smile quirked at his mouth. “Except in private. You’ll understand why when you see him. But the point is, your lips need to stay zipped on this. Consider this a verbal contract. Otherwise, you could be facing legal discourse, termination of employment, relocation, blah-blah-airlocking-blah-blah-blah…”

“What?!” Vaughn shrieked, feet popping off the floor.

“It’s all just formalities,” Jack said while waving his hand dismissively. “I mean, yeah, those things will totally happen if you say anything. That’s why I’m giving you one last chance to turn back. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping a secret, then leave now.”

Vaughn swallowed roughly around a lump in his throat. If this outing got any stranger, he might just have an anxiety attack. A thousand “why”s kicked around in his head at once, but Jack was obviously not going to explain anything or answer any questions. He was starting to wonder if the relationship between Jack and Rhys might even be a cover-up. Was Rhys mixed into something sketchy, deep within Hyperion? The way Jack described this mystery person, Vaughn was half-expecting some sort of deranged Frankenstein monster, a terrible experiment gone horribly wrong or horribly _right_ by the scientists of Hyperion. Was he going to end up the latest test subject if he went?

A hard tremble rattled through him, from head to toe. This was getting way too intense.

Jack took two slow steps toward him, in a way Vaughn almost registered as threatening until he saw the unusually relaxed expression on his face. “Come on,” he coaxed with a smile. “You’re gonna like this.” The warm, almost gentle tone of his voice was so unlike what Vaughn had ever heard out of Handsome Jack before. The guy must have really wanted something out of him, and it was frustrating to still not know what. Every minute with Jack had only piled more and more questions onto Vaughn’s confusion.

Somehow, though, he found himself actually wanting to trust Jack. Maybe it was going to be the last mistake he’d ever make, but it _was_ true that the guy had defied all bloodthirsty expectations so far. And even if there was something sinister at work, if Rhys was involved, then Vaughn had to know.

“All right,” he surrendered after a deep sigh. “I promise not to tell anyone.”

Something genuinely excited seemed to light behind Jack’s eyes. “Good man!” he said before cueing the elevator to ascend. The ride was speedy and smooth, mechanisms much more efficient and well-maintained than any of the other elevators on Helios.

As Vaughn stood side by side with Handsome Jack, he still couldn’t ignore how crazy this situation was. He fought the urge to slap himself and make sure he wasn’t just having some sort of outlandish dream. This kind of shit just didn’t happen to him. Since arriving at Hyperion, Vaughn had found the best way to stay alive was just keep his head down and keep to his ordinary business. People tended to not mind him, unless they wanted him out of their way.

He snuck a sideways glance at the man beside him. Was he just in Jack’s way now, too?

Of course, Jack caught sight of the glance and smiled mischievously. “See something you like, there?” He turned with arms open, showing himself off. Vaughn had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.

“I’m just still trying to figure this out,” he mumbled, completely flustered. Was Jack just used to having his ass kissed at every turn? Considering Rhys and how the guy probably acted around Jack, maybe that was true. The thought of it was cringeworthy.

“Oh, come on,” Jack goaded, stepping closer and making Vaughn tense once again at their proximity. “You can admit I’m awesome. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

Vaughn huffed, unable to believe the size of that ego. The only thing he had to admit was his amazement at the sheer amount of time spent with Jack so far and no violence. The last thing he wanted to do was give the other man ideas, though.

Luckily Jack took his exasperated silence as confirmation and just grinned. “Yeah, you like me more than you admit,” he said smugly.

The elevator then came to a gentle stop and the doors slid open again, interrupting the awkward moment. Before Vaughn could breathe a sigh of relief, Jack’s arm was suddenly around his shoulders again. He suppressed a cry of surprise this time, aided by the fact that now it was a lot more casual and less of a death grip.

“This,” Jack proclaimed, “is the presidential hall.” His voice echoed off the walls as he ushered Vaughn into the large space. A massive ornate fountain stood at the center, complete with a statue of Handsome Jack standing proudly in the middle of it. To the sides were various strange objects set on display like they were in a museum. Enormous paintings hung along the walls, showing Jack fighting a variety of bandits and monsters.

“Now here is where all my successes are displayed,” Jack declared in an utterly pleased voice. “I don’t mean to brag, but – oh hell, I’ll definitely brag, because I’ve done some pretty awesome shit, and this is all the evidence. We’ve got rare treasures collected from bandit camps, Pandoran artifacts, skulls from monsters you haven’t even seen in your worst nightmares,” he chuckled. “All tokens from my greatest exploits. I’ve busted ass all over Pandora and Elpis, seen things that would turn you green.”

The hand on Vaughn’s shoulder gave a little squeeze. “So? How about it?”

Vaughn’s brain spazzed. How about what? “Uhh, it’s cool,” he fumbled, his gaze caught on a strange iridescent rock they passed by. Its surfaces were like brightly stained glass.

“Hmph,” Jack grumbled. “It’s friggin’ fabulous, is what it is. You know, not many people get to see this.”

Vaughn frowned. What did Jack want, for him to fall to the floor weeping and drooling over his greatness? Sure, there was some wild stuff here, but did Jack really need any more praise? Every word out of his mouth that morning had been self-congratulatory. “No, I understand. There’s just,” he paused, mouth going dry at the mounted head of some horned creature Vaughn immediately hoped was the last of its kind. “There’s a lot here.”

“Well, duh,” Jack commented. “Can’t say I blame you for being overwhelmed, given that the most you see every day are the gray walls of that shithole office. I’ll give you the official tour another time. For now, we’ve got some very important company waiting.”

Vaughn winced. There was going to be another time?!

Finally at the other end of the hall was another set of double doors that slid open to reveal Handsome Jack’s office itself. At each side of the entryway, two giant busts with Handsome Jack’s head on them stood, each carving easily larger than an entire person. There were more belongings on display to the sides - shiny things, complex gadgets, and weapons that Jack had probably bought with his endless wealth, rather than obtained by force. Some were guns Vaughn had never seen around Helios before, covered in many buttons and with unusual designs. The ceiling was high up with looming cavernous walls, and three gigantic windows at the back overlooking Elpis. The moon’s neon purple glow poured in, giving the already unbelievable circumstances an extra surreal touch. Before the windows, atop an elevated platform, was the man’s desk, easily as wide as Vaughn’s entire office.

Vaughn expected to be led there, but instead Jack ushered him off to the back corner, where there was a small lounging area. A dark leather couch sat in front of a polished wooden table, with a couple of matching armchairs on the other side. This must have been a space reserved for really special guests.

Me, Vaughn thought incredulously. He half expected Jack to tell him to sit on the floor, but instead he was gestured toward the couch. Vaughn went to settle himself on one end but Jack firmly took him by the shoulders and steered him to the center instead. “Here,” he commanded. Vaughn’s head felt fuzzy as he gently sat down on what was the comfiest piece of furniture he’d ever encountered. This whole thing was so out of place. He was just a geeky accountant, not some Hyperion bigwig who bought a new suit for every day.

“I’m gonna go track down our company,” Jack said, straightening up and resting his hands on his hips. “Don’t move. Tempting as it may be to check out the office – because let’s face it, this is a sweet office – I’m gonna need you to stay put. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Vaughn nodded dumbly as Jack wandered away. He sat stiffly on the couch and struggled to not believe this was just a dream. The office was cool and impeccably clean, quiet besides the humming of internal fans circulating air. He bet there wasn’t a trace of dust in the whole room. In front of him, on the table, there was some sort of metal tin with foil over the top. Was that food? Probably something brought in by one of Jack’s personal chefs, if the man’s bragging was anything to believe. Honestly, Vaughn would be happy if it was. The only thing in his empty stomach was alcohol, and he probably could go for anything that might be under there –

At once two forms flipped over the back of the couch and plopped on either side of him in unison. Vaughn yelped, his fight or flight instincts kicking in. To the left was Jack and to the right was…

Another Jack?!

Vaughn double take’d, furiously whipping his head around to confirm what he just saw.

Left, Jack.

Right, Jack.

Each peering at him gleefully.

“AAAAAH!!!” he screamed in panic, springing from the couch only to stumble and lose his balance. The edge of the table smacked into the back of his head on the way down and he hit the floor with a graceless thud.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Vaughn (again). What this poor guy wouldn't give for someone to just politely walk up to him and introduce themselves!
> 
> This chapter was pretty much already written, so yay for another update! ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn finally starts getting answers to all the questions he's been having. He might not be ready for this, though!

“Oh, shit!” one of the Jack’s exclaimed while the other was deep into roaring laughter. Vaughn groaned and reached to feel his head. He was absolutely seeing stars.

A hand timidly came to rest on his arm. “Hey. Shit, are you okay?” the first Jack said. His words shook a bit with a tone completely unlike the tyrannical CEO.

“Guh,” was all Vaughn could manage.

“Hey, Jack?” the same man said. “Rhys is not going to forgive us if we just gave him a concussion.” The stern edge to his voice now more closely matched Handsome Jack’s reputation.

The other Jack still couldn’t stop his breathy laughter. “I ca…I can’t…” he wheezed.

The pain finally started giving way to awareness of the situation at hand, prompting Vaughn to sit up and open his eyes. There they were – not an illusion, two identical, actual Handsome Jacks. The sight made his stomach turn. One was kneeling on the floor beside him, wearing a look of concern Vaughn didn’t even know that face was capable of making. The other was still sitting on the couch and doubled over with laughter. Now that one was much more what Vaughn expected. It was if Jack had once been a normal man, but his evil and good sides split into separate bodies.

“You okay?” the nicer one repeated, eyeing him carefully.

Vaughn sucked in a long breath through his nose, trying to find words or at least not lose consciousness. “Two…” was all he could mumble, vaguely raising a hand to point at them.

The hint of a smile pulled at Nice Jack’s mouth. “I’ll get you some ice,” he said, rising to his feet until the laughing Jack beat him to it.

“Nah, nah. I’ve got it.” The other man still chuckled unapologetically as he wandered away. Nice Jack lowered again to gently grip Vaughn’s arms and try to pull him up.

“Let’s, uh, get you off the floor.”

Vaughn could only mumble something incoherent as he was carefully helped back onto the couch. Instinctively, he already liked this Jack better. It definitely didn’t seem like this was the one who had been with him up to that point today. Now Vaughn understood the mystery, but who was this person? A twin brother? A clone? Now that the possibility was in front of him, it wouldn’t have been surprising to find that Jack had a hundred little test tube copies of himself on hand, just so he could live and rule Hyperion forever. This guy’s personality was anything but a copy, though.

“Sorry about that,” the man said, looking incredibly flustered. “We always wanted to surprise someone like that, but I didn’t think you were going to, uh, hit your head.” His eyes drifted down and to the side awkwardly. Vaughn could only gape at the unreal sight.

Just then something cold pressed to the back of his head and he turned to see the real (?) Jack plop down on the couch on his other side with a smug grin on his face. He was holding what must have been an ice pack in place. Vaughn reached back to take it but was immediately stopped. “Stay still,” Jack commanded, eyes searching his curiously. “That’s where you hit it, right?”

Vaughn froze and swallowed nervously as they kept eye contact, only able to nod blankly in response. His heart beat wildly at the close contact and intimate gesture. Finally Jack’s attention went to the man on the opposite end of the couch. “You introduce yourself yet?”

“Not yet,” the lookalike said, voice a little tight with nervousness. Jack raised his eyebrows and nodded encouragingly, prompting the other to extend his hand to Vaughn.

“My name’s Timothy,” he said, eyes lighting with a strange giddiness at the words, as if the simple act of telling someone his name was a marvelous event. “I’m Jack’s body double.”

Vaughn robotically shook the warm hand, dazed out of his mind. A body double…but the two were completely identical in appearance. Did Jack really have those capabilities? “I’m Vaughn,” he responded, noting how gentle Timothy’s grip was.

“He knows who you are,” Jack spoke up. Vaughn looked to see him grinning toothily. “We know all about you.”

“What he means is,” Timothy cut in upon seeing the freaked out expression on Vaughn’s face, “we’ve been hearing about you. From, uh, Rhys.”

Hearing that name again did nothing good for Vaughn’s nerves. He’d briefly forgotten this had anything to do with his close friend at all. And now, this Timothy knew Rhys, too?

As if reading his mind, Jack spoke again. “Time to be blunt, shortcake. Rhys isn’t just dating me. This fine piece of work in front of you is also part of the picture.”

If he hadn’t already about knocked himself out, Vaughn would have flown from the couch again. This could not be happening. There was no way. This was the kind of stuff that happened on a trashy reality show that aired at 3AM. There was no way Rhys was with _two_ …

Wait.

“Rhys never mentioned a second person,” he spluttered. He now eyed Timothy with disdain, any positive impressions gone if this guy was just another reason Rhys had been pulled away from him.

“I told you,” Jack said with a self-satisfied smile. “Best. Kept. Secret.”

The way he said that just pissed Vaughn off, for all sorts of reasons. Rhys had never kept things from him before; now he was keeping secrets with these two? That knowledge coupled with the fact that he’d been spilling all sorts of information to them just twisted and hurt. “So what did you bring me up here for, just to put it in my face?” he snapped, too upset to care whether that led to Jack beating him to death with that ice pack at this point. The CEO just blinked at him, unimpressed.

“Uh, no. How about you calm your tits and hear us out? We’ve got a proposition for ya.”

Vaughn folded his arms and sighed. He doubted it was anything he wanted, but might as well get to the punchline of this crazy morning. “What is it?”

Jack smirked and nodded again to Timothy, who shuffled anxiously before speaking. “Well, you know…we’ve heard a lot about you from Rhys, and you two seem close. So we were wanting to ask, uh…maybe we could get to know you, and see if we’re compatible?”

“We want to date you,” Jack declared.

That was it. The alcohol, the stress, the conk to the head, and now this?

Vaughn lurched over, nearly throwing up.

“I think we have a critic,” Jack grumbled.

A gentle hand tentatively rested on Vaughn’s back. “Are you still dizzy?” Timothy asked in a startled voice.

That was the least of Vaughn’s problems right now. He worked to fight down the little content of his stomach before sitting up. “Wha…” he fumbled, looking at the men on either side of him. “What?!”

Jack arched a brow curiously. “Yep. That’s what’s on the table, shortcake.”

“I know you don’t know us,” Tim said cautiously. “I mean, especially me, but that’s why we brought you up here.”

“Just had to give you an inspection first,” Jack added with a smirk. “Not just anyone gets to come up here and meet this gem.” He gave Timothy a fond gaze that Vaughn would have found more endearing if the man wasn’t essentially just looking at himself. “And you’ve got some negative impressions of me we need to clear up. You don’t have to make a decision right now. Just sit and hang out with us for a while. What have you got to lose, a few hours of your time?” He scoffed as if it was a no brainer and relaxed back in his seat, putting the ice pack aside.

Timothy leaned forward and started messing with the foil on the mystery tray that had been laid out on the table. “I brought snacks,” he further tempted with a shy smile. He pulled back the foil to reveal a tray of muffins.

“Ahh,” Jack said, immediately snagging one. “These are the orange cranberry ones, aren’t they? You’re spoiling us.”

Timothy also grabbed one and offered it to Vaughn with a warm smile. Vaughn didn’t know what to think. He was pissed at these two, for everything he’d just learned, and couldn’t begin to comprehend why they would bring up dating him. It was all way over his head, but there was only so much he could resist someone handing him a snack.

“Thanks,” he mumbled awkwardly. It was still warm from baking, a shiny sugary glaze covering the top. He had to admit it smelled really good. Taking a bite, it tasted even better. “Wow.”

Jack chuckled, already well into his. “Timothy’s got some wicked baking skills,” he explained with his mouth full. “No one on this station could compare.” The compliment made the double chuckle bashfully as he took one for himself.

“You made these?” Vaughn opted for conversation. He just assumed they were made by servants on a CEO whim.

“Yeah,” Timothy said, giggling again. “I was nervous-baking. Jack wanted to meet you first to make sure everything would be cool, and I didn’t know how things were going. Rhys talked so much about you and I was excited but worried that things weren’t going to work out and – yeah.” He promptly shoved the muffin into his mouth to make himself stop talking, eyes bugged out.

Jack cackled shamelessly. “You have no idea, kiddo. Timothy here has been so antsy to meet you. I don’t think he slept a wink last night!”

“Jack,” Timothy whined into his muffin.

“He got so excited when Rhys described all the dorky things you two like to do together – latched onto every word. He was asking what kind of video games you liked, and if you played any table games or whatever the hell. And when Rhys showed us pictures, he said you were cute-“

Tim wrenched a muffin off the tray and hucked it at Jack. The CEO caught it easilly and winked with a shit-eating grin before taking a bite.

If anyone could compete with the double’s embarrassment, it had to be Vaughn. He sunk into the couch, face thoroughly warm at the discussion. No one had ever called him cute before. Maybe when he was young, but…woah. Cute? And by someone who looked like freakin’ Handsome Jack? This was going to take some time to absorb. It made him embarrassed to think of what all Rhys might have told or shown them.

Just then, something finally clicked in his head.

“Wait,” he muttered vacantly. The word was quiet, but his tone seemed to catch the other two’s attention.

“Rhys… _wanted_ you two to ask me that?”

Jack snorted, mouth still full. “Yeah. Keep up, shortcake.”

“He’s been a bit broken up lately,” Tim said with a glum expression.

That only earned a frustrated scoff from Jack, spraying crumbs into the air. “He hasn’t even wanted to have sex with us!”

Timothy seemed on the verge of launching another muffin but contained himself. “Anyway, he’s been real worried about you. He knew something was wrong but not what. Given the timing and everything, we figured it was…you know. But Rhys really likes you, too. And with all Jack and I have heard about you…” A smile formed across his lips. “Well, that’s why we wanted to meet you in person.”

Vaughn’s head spun at the story. So Rhys actually wanted to be with him, too? That was a piece of knowledge he’d been wanting for years. He would have been bouncing off the walls with happiness if it weren’t for the unexpected baggage that was suddenly coming with it.

“So let me get this straight,” he said, turning fully toward the much more helpful Jack in the room. “If we were to be, um, ‘compatible,’ then that would mean the four of us…” He pressed his lips together, unable to finish the thought.

“Basically,” the double answered, voice pitched up a bit. His throat bobbed nervously as he observed Vaughn.

Oh, holy balls. This was just batshit insane. Vaughn wanted to be with Rhys so badly, it was a fantasy he’d had for years. But never in the farthest reaches of his imagination would he have envisioned two Jacks as part of that picture. Hell, just one would have been a lot for him to bear. How was this even supposed to work?

Before anyone could comment further, the ringing of an echo sounded. Timothy sat up straight, eyes widened in panic as Jack took his device out of his pocket and saw the caller. “Ah, hell,” he said with a sort of amused resignation. “Keep chatting, sweeties. I’ll take this.” He rose from his seat and started to step away.

“Oh no,” Timothy groaned, words muffled by a hand over his face.

“What’s that?” Vaughn asked.

“It must be Rhys,” Tim mumbled, looking as guilty as a dog that had peed on the carpet while its owners were out. “We didn’t exactly have his…blessing for this.”

“You said this was what he wanted.”

“Yeah, but,” Timothy said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, “he wanted to talk with you about it before you met us. Like, ease you into it? Jack, uh, doesn’t operate like that.”

“You don’t say,” Vaughn deadpanned.

At once Jack’s voice filled the air as he answered the echo. “Baaabyyy,” he greeted with a hundred percent charm. Timothy cringed and sank down into his seat. They couldn’t help but listen in as Jack continued speaking in a pleasant, unfazed tone.

“What do you mean?...Really?!...Oh-ho, that’s pretty funny…Nah, I was just so excited to meet him, I thought, why wait?” Whatever the response to that was finally brought the hint of a grimace to Jack’s features. He glanced to see Vaughn and Timothy staring, and promptly waved his hand in an impatient “carry on” motion. Running his free hand through his immaculate hair, he stalked off to the other end of the office. “Nah, nah, everything’s going great…”

Vaughn snorted quietly in protest. Like hell it was. Meanwhile Timothy about looked like he was going to be sick. “Ugh, Rhys must be so mad at us…”

That made Vaughn laugh humorlessly. “At Handsome Jack? I’m pretty sure Rhys worships the ground he walks on.”

Now it was Timothy’s turn to laugh, but genuinely. It was much different from Jack’s raucous laughter, more of a high-pitched, dorky giggle. “Rhys is actually really snarky with him. They give it back and forth to each other all the time. He’s probably legitimately tearing Jack a new asshole right now, though.” He laughed again, but his shoulders sagged. “I shouldn’t be laughing. He’ll chew me out next.”

Vaughn rolled his eyes. Rhys was about as intimidating as a kitten. Still, the look on Timothy’s face was so sad that he immediately felt the urge to provide some sort of comfort. “Well if I get to him first, I’ll help put you back in good standing,” Vaughn said. Timothy brightened at that and gave him a crooked, sweet smile.

Oh, man. This double _was_ kind of cute. Real cute, actually. It still blew Vaughn’s mind how he looked like Jack, down to the last molecule, but couldn’t possibly carry himself any differently. He must have either been so good at acting that no one ever noticed anything off, or so bad that Jack just never used him for actual stand-ins. The fact that he was nothing like Jack only scored more points for him with Vaughn, though. Spending time with him was an enormous refresher after all the intimidation he’d endured that morning.

Timothy scooted a little closer. “Can I tell you something?” he asked in a slightly lowered voice. Vaughn shrugged. It couldn’t possibly get any weirder than it already was.

“I know we just threw a lot on you, and, uh...we didn’t make the best first impression.” His face fell into that guilty look again. “I hope you’ll give us a chance, though.” He paused, taking a thoughtful breath. “You know, I was in the same place, not too long ago.”

Vaughn furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Jack and I have known each other for a long time. We’d gotten a bit close recently, but, nothing official. When he started seeing Rhys, I really hated it. Then he introduced us, seeing if we’d be open to, you know. And I was jealous. I thought Rhys was just some snobby Hyperion, well, douchebag. Just another horny fanboy trying to get into Jack’s pants for the money and power. To be honest, I also sort of thought Jack was just screwing with me. It felt like a joke.

“But then we all got to talking, and I found out that Rhys is actually a really sweet guy, you know? I mean, you do know. I was still afraid of being just the third wheel, that they were going to leave me out eventually. Jack and Rhys are both so cool. Yeah, I look the way I do, but I’m still…” He gestured at himself vaguely, brow scrunching as he tried to find the words. “I’m not like that. You might have noticed.”

Vaughn couldn’t help the smile that came over him. It was impossible _not_ to notice, but as far as he was concerned, it just made the double easier to get along with. Timothy squirmed bashfully at the reaction.

“A-anyway, it hasn’t been like that at all. The three of us have blended together real well, and I’ve never felt left out or neglected. We give each other lots of attention and message each other when we’re not hanging out. If one of us is busy, usually the other is available to talk. Rhys is so thoughtful, and Jack’s always going out of his way to remind you he’s there.”

Just then the man in question plopped folded arms onto the back of the couch between them. “Oh, you’re talking about me?” he teased. His eyes cut between them mischievously. “Look at you two, all cozy!”

Vaughn was suddenly aware of how close he and Timothy were. Embarrassed, he scooted back a bit to give some room. He must have been leaning in to listen more than he’d realized. Meanwhile Jack vaulted over the back of the couch to take his seat once more.

“Is Rhys coming up?” Tim asked.

“Nah, he wanted to give us some space to get to know each other and whatnot, since our man’s already here.”

Timothy’s voice lowered in dread. “How mad is he?”

Jack just cackled, though it seemed to lack his normal energy. “You’d better lay low, Timtams. You know, he’ll thank us when this all works out.”

Vaughn flushed a little. Who said this was working out?! He’d be lying if he said Tim’s story didn’t soften him up a bit, but the fact was, Timothy was an awkward guy who still looked like Handsome Jack. Vaughn was the real geeky deal, inside and out.

Then again, Timothy apparently thought he was cute. And Rhys…well, Vaughn wouldn’t know for sure until they talked directly, but Rhys was at least interested enough to try and sell these two on him. What did Jack want with him, though? Every person on the station, man and woman alike, wanted to bang him. Why would Jack spend time on him?

“So what were you two chatting about?” Jack asked with amusement. He lounged lazily with his head on his hand.

“I was telling Vaughn about how you got me and Rhys together,” Timothy said.

“Ah,” Jack chuckled. “That was a fun day. You and Rhysie were so damn cute, trying to gauge each other. As if I didn’t already know you two were going to be awesome together. In fact…” he tapped his finger on his head thoughtfully, “the only person who may be even more fitted, is our present company. You two are a match made in nerd heaven!” He laughed while Timothy just groaned at the blunt statement, and Vaughn did the same inwardly. Finally he worked up the nerve to say what was on his mind.

“What about you?” he murmured.

“Hm?” Jack leaned close, making Vaughn sweat all over again. “What about me?”

Vaughn sighed, hating how flustered this guy constantly had him. Now that he’d opened his dumb mouth, he couldn’t think of a way to explain. “I mean,” he swallowed dryly, “are you and me actually a good match?”

“Well, if I didn’t think so, you wouldn’t be sitting here,” Jack said arrogantly.

Vaughn fought stubbornly against his anxiety and awkwardness to get the words out. “Yeah, but, why? We’re kind of opposite, aren’t we?”

“You know they say opposites attract. Maybe you could use someone more ballsy in your life. Maybe I could use someone more, ah…”

He trailed off. Vaughn arched an eyebrow.

“…simple.”

“Huh.”

“I think he means someone more low key,” Timothy corrected with a grin. Jack squinted his eyes feistily at him but didn’t object.

“This is all theoretical, in any case. As I said, just hang out for a while and we’ll see how it goes. All right?”

“Okay.” The response was out of Vaughn’s mouth before he fully registered it. Once he did, it caught him by surprise.

That wasn’t just a knee-jerk reaction to agree with Jack. He actually meant it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Timothy. <3 <3 <3
> 
> Jack's lucky to have him there to swoop in and make peace!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn gets to know Timothy and Jack a little better, but is soon called to make a decision he may not be ready for.

Vaughn ended up talking with Jack and Timothy for some time more. Jack busted out a bag of pretzels, which turned out weren’t very good, and some bottled soda that was incredibly light and fresh tasting. Given Jack’s wealth and outlandish personality, Vaughn figured it must have been carbonated unicorn tears. They started out swapping stories about working for Hyperion. Vaughn found out that Timothy had worked with Jack since he took over as CEO, back when Hyperion saved the moon from Dahl.

“This piece of perfection was all over the moon with those vault hunters,” Jack praised relentlessly. His face was all warm grins. “Got in there, and saved the day – under my direction, of course. Did all sorts of crazy work on Elpis and Pandora before I pulled him. He’s a freakin’ badass.” Timothy looked like he was going to melt from all the compliments.

“You’ve been to Pandora?” Vaughn asked breathlessly. The place sounded like a nightmare, through and through. It was unbelievable to think that the mild-mannered man before him was once a vault hunter, on top of everything else.

“Oh, yeah,” Timothy said easily. “Lots of times. I’ve got scars here…here…” He pulled up his sleeve to show a couple of wide puncture marks from what must have been a bite on his forearm, and then another long mark over his chest, just concealed by the jacket.

“Don’t forget the one on your ass,” Jack snickered. “How did you get that one again?”

Timothy scowled. “Let’s not talk about that. Ever.”

Vaughn couldn’t hold back a chuckle at that, but he was still blown away by all this. Were some, most, or even all of the things from Jack’s hall of trophies actually obtained by Timothy? This guy who just baked them delicious muffins - he’d been down on the surface of Pandora, having gunfights with bandits and battling unimaginable monsters? “How are you so,” he paused, trying to find the right word, “level-headed?”

Timothy chuckled quietly. “I guess I’m resilient.”

“Tim’s a sweetheart, first and foremost,” Jack clarified. “That’s why I had to pull him from all that. He’s more capable than twenty of my soldiers, but he could be better than a hundred and it wouldn’t be worth the risk. He stays here now.” The two shared a look that Vaughn could only describe as loving, and it almost gave him goosebumps. Jack actually seemed to have feelings for Timothy that went beyond literally screwing himself. Was it even possible?

Something briefly, gently pulled in his chest. It was a momentary desire that he wanted that bond, too – to be part of it.

Vaughn promptly swallowed that feeling down with a gulp of soda.

Time really started to fly once the topic went to video games. Timothy and Vaughn barely noticed when Jack left with exasperation to go do some work out of boredom. Their discussion got very involved as they compared different genres and titles they liked. Vaughn enjoyed racing games and Timothy was into RPGs, but they found there were some adventure and strategic games that both had played. They eagerly compared their favorite moments, tactics, and most frustrating parts to get through. Timothy even insisted that Vaughn try out a visual novel sometime.

“I’ve got a really good one we could play together,” he said, daring to reach out and brush his hand against Vaughn’s arm, which was resting on the back of the couch. The unexpected motion made Vaughn startle, and Timothy withdrew his hand to scratch at his nose. “Um, if you want.”

“No, no!” Vaughn stammered. “I mean, yes. I’d like that.” He gave Timothy a smile, trying to salvage the situation and communicate that he meant it. He couldn’t bring himself to make a move in response, though. It didn’t seem like a great idea to give interested signals if he still wasn’t sure of this situation. There was more to this than just Timothy, and the idea of dating three people at once was honestly still freaking him out.

“So, uh, do you play any tabletop games?” Timothy quickly asked in an apparent bid to get past the awkward moment. “Like, RPGs or anything?”

“I’ve wanted to before, but Rhys thinks they’re too complicated.” Vaughn rolled his eyes dramatically, earning a giggle from Timothy. “He can take all the time in the world to write a program, but not a half hour to fill out a character sheet.”

“Ah,” Timothy noted. He stared down at his lap bashfully. “Well if you ever wanted… I mean, I used to play them a lot before my life got, uh, Jack’d. It’s been a while, but I could teach you some things. Bunkers and Badasses is really cool.”

Something in Timothy’s voice grew meek and wistful as he spoke, and Vaughn wondered how much he missed of his former identity. Running around on Pandora or parading around Helios as Handsome Jack probably didn’t afford him much chance to live like a normal person. Despite apparently having Jack around for some time, the man seemed a little lonely. That was something Vaughn could sympathize with all too well lately.

“Definitely,” he said. “Dig me further into the nerd hole. Maybe with the both of us coercing, we could drag Rhys down with us.” Timothy lit up at that in a way that would have made the agreement well worth it even if Vaughn hadn’t been interested in playing.

Suddenly Jack slumped dramatically over the back of the couch between them. “Oh my _God_ , kiddos. Are you _still_ talking gaming shit? I am bored out of my freakin’ head over here!”

Timothy eyed him with a shy but amused grin. “W-we could change the subject now.” He gave the man a couple apologetic pats on the arm before Jack rounded to sit with them again.

The three quickly got back to talking about “more interesting” things, at Jack’s fussing request. They continued sharing more of their various likes, dislikes, and stories until Jack got lost going on about all his achievements. After what felt like a half hour, it was nearly putting Vaughn to sleep. His blinks grew longer and longer and his head was feeling heavy. He sipped intently at his drink to try and stay alert.

“So that’s when I said, you can give me eighty percent, or I’ll toss these grenades and we’ll see how long you last in here! Ah, ha, ha! Oh, the things I do to get the best deal for this company. Anyway, kid, are you a virgin or what?!”

Jack was almost rewarded with a mouthful of soda all over his shirt, if Vaughn hadn’t held back the spit-take.

“Jeez, Jack,” Timothy muttered, though it sounded like he had masked some amusement.

Vaughn roughly swallowed, coughing a little. “Uh…I…” he wheezed.

“Kiddo, no! Are you really?!”

“No!” Vaughn spluttered, mortified. The last thing he was going to do was admit how long it had been, though. If Jack’s sexual history could be detailed across a full set of encyclopedias, Vaughn’s would probably fit on a sticky note.

“So give us the goods, shortcake. How experienced are you?”

“ _Jack_ ,” Tim ground out a little more seriously. He sympathetically patted Vaughn on the back. Jack just looked at his watch, full of wicked grins.

“Ah, that’s about enough for one day, anyway. I’ll savor the suspense. Let’s get to serious business.” He suddenly turned and leaned against the couch to face Vaughn and Timothy, his expression sharp. “Down the couch – what’s the verdict? Is there gonna be a next time or not? Tim?”

The blood suddenly drained from Vaughn’s face. Guess Jack had no qualms about putting them on the spot. He’d almost forgotten the point of this whole bonding session. Now his body stiffened, bracing for what they had to say. The pause before Timothy spoke was agonizing.

“Um…yeah,” he said cautiously, as if the words could detonate a mine. “I-if it’s good with you two. Yeah.”

Jack nodded and then looked to Vaughn, folding his arms. “Are you in or are you out? We’re not asking you to sign a contract; I’m just saying we’ll set up a few dates. Get some more time one-on-one with each other and see what comes about. Plus some time with all four of us, of course.” He grinned. “Can’t keep Rhys out of the loop forever.”

Of course he had to throw Rhys’s name in there, to remind Vaughn what this meant. His palms were sweaty as he anxiously rubbed them together. What these two – actually all three of them – were asking was overwhelming. It wasn’t that he didn’t find himself liking Timothy and Jack after today. Just that in itself was a major shift from what he thought was possible. To date all three of them, though…that was a lot. Maybe it was the sort of wacky thing Rhys would easily accept. Hell, getting to date two Jacks was probably a pervy fantasy come true for his friend. For Vaughn, though, it was still a lot to process. He’d still only just met these two today.

“I…” he fumbled, mouth and throat suddenly very dry. Hopefully Jack was ready for some of that honesty. “I think this is really crazy.”

Jack just snorted. “Well, yeah.” Timothy was intensely quiet.

“Yeah,” Vaughn repeated. A weight seemed to lift off his chest and a smile formed on his lips as he realized the answer. “I want to see you both again, though.”

A soft but audible sigh of relief came from Timothy while Jack just smirked. “I knew it. You’re totally into me.”

Vaughn rolled his eyes and shook his head good-naturedly. Jack had no idea how untrue that was twenty-four hours ago. Hell, he could still hardly believe it himself.

A light tapping on his shoulder drew his attention, and he turned to see Timothy beaming brightly. “I’m really glad,” he said, though the elation on his face seemed to indicate that was an understatement.

“Yeah, you pass,” Jack added in a put-upon tone. “If everyone’s on board, then I worked out a little schedule with Rhys while you two were going on about God knows what.” He blew out an astounded sigh while producing a pair of thin gold reading glasses from his jacket, along with a small tablet. “Okay, so Rhys is going to spend tonight with you to talk some things over and whatnot. Tomorrow afternoon you and Tim will go out together. I can grace you with my presence Wednesday night, and then Friday…” Tap, tap, tap. “…we’ll all get together up at my penthouse for dinner.”

Vaughn couldn’t help it anymore; he burst out laughing. It was too loud in the cavernous office and he knew it probably made him look crazy, but there was no way he could hold it back.

“What the hell are you laughing about?!” Jack asked. His voice was riddled with the kind of confusion he’d only been causing all day.

Vaughn struggled to compose himself but it was futile. “Those glasses,” he fought to get out between laughs. “They’re so delicate and proper-looking, like something you wouldn’t wear at all!” He refrained from using the word “grandpa” for the sake of his life. Behind him, Timothy also started giggling helplessly.

The only one clearly not laughing was Jack. He removed the eyewear and gently folded it into his lap as he leaned toward Vaughn. Those eyes were suddenly so sharp on him that it instantly shut him up. Oh man, did he just blow this whole thing by being immature? For the first time in hours, he remembered just who he was dealing with.

Jack reached a hand out to firmly grip Vaughn’s shoulder. “Are you laughing at me?” he whisper-growled.

“W-well, not at _you_ ,” Vaughn stuttered. “More the, uh, glasses. You know.”

Jack stared for a moment longer before letting out an amused snort. “You’ve got some balls,” he chuckled, taking the time to firmly trace strong fingers over Vaughn’s shoulder before he pulled back. He put on the dainty reading glasses once more and resumed his work. “You’d better watch it. I’ll take those blocky things you’re wearing and build a new wing on the station with them."

Vaughn chortled at the jab, relieved he hadn’t screwed everything up or shortened his lifespan. Who knew Handsome Jack could take a little ribbing? Timothy also chuckled at the display, resting a hand on Vaughn’s shoulder. “Aw, your glasses are cool,” he assured. “The green tint is sweet.”

Vaughn felt all warm underneath his touch and kind words. That was definitely something he’d never heard before. Even Rhys occasionally gave him grief over his nerdy glasses.

Timothy then turned his attention to Jack. “Yours are nice, too. Very dignified.”

“Kiss-ass,” Jack huffed, a playful glint in his eyes. “So you two have got the schedule, right? You weren’t too busy just laughing your tits off over there? Screw it, I’m sending it all on a group message. Stop geeking out for five seconds to read it!”

Soon Jack and Timothy were walking Vaughn back to the executive elevator. He marveled at how the two powerful men kept on either side of him, not walking ahead or leaving him to the side like a tagalong. It was like he actually belonged with them, and was wanted. That was a feeling he hadn’t had in weeks. Was this what Timothy had talked about?

When they reached the elevator doors, Tim handed him the tray with the remaining muffins. “For you and Rhys,” he said hesitantly. “Please tell him we’re sorry.”

“Well, Timothy’s sorry,” Jack pointed out. His arms folded stubbornly. “I’d say it turned out pretty fan-freakin’-tastic. Parting with those muffins is a big enough sacrifice, besides!”

Timothy smiled bashfully and shuffled his feet. “Anyway, um, it was great meeting you.” He wavered a little, leaning forward and back in an unsure motion.

Oh. Vaughn understood. Making sure not to repeat what happened earlier, he stepped forward and wrapped his free arm around Timothy’s shoulder into a hug. The double eagerly returned the embrace, arms so strong that they lifted Vaughn up a little. He was actually grateful for that as he stood on tip toes while struggling to hold the muffin pan out of the way. The tight physical contact was a relief after all he’d been through lately. Just as they pulled back, he caught a fresh-smelling scent around Timothy’s neck.

“So…tomorrow afternoon?” Tim asked, looking absolutely pleased. It flattered Vaughn in a bunch of ways. But wait a minute…

“Afternoon?” Vaughn looked between them curiously, suddenly realizing what was wrong with that. “I, uh, I’ve got work.”

“Oh. Yeah,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “Your week long vacation started today. He quirked a brow at Vaughn’s stunned expression and silence. “You remember I’m your boss? Consider this a…special assignment, if you have to.”

“I’ll message you where to meet,” Timothy added, all bright smiles.

Vaughn was at a complete loss. “Oh, uh…uhm, okay. Th-thanks.” He was so flustered from the information that he was defenseless to react when Jack stepped forward and kissed him.

Vaughn jolted and froze, before letting his eyes fall shut as they pressed their lips together. His mind and heart raced at the warm feeling, while Jack had a hand on the back of his head to keep them steady. It was all Vaughn could do not to drop that damn tray of muffins as they held. Just as he started to thoughtlessly lean into the kiss, though, Jack pulled away.

“See you later, Vaughn,” he said with a wicked grin. Behind him, Timothy’s expression almost matched. The two were eerily similar when they were up to something.

Vaughn wasn’t even sure what he said, how he got into the elevator, but as soon as the doors shut he dropped down into a sitting position against the wall. His knees were so weak after that, lips tingling and brain just barely registering that Jack had used his name for the first time all day.

Holy crap. Jack was good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack likes to follow the policy of "leave them wanting more." : )
> 
> Thanks for waiting! I was completely stuck on parts of this chapter, even though a lot of it was already written. And am debating for how things will go from here... A lot of the rest of the story hasn't been as planned out as everything up to this point, though I have some ideas.
> 
> Jack spontaneously asking about Vaughn's virginity is a reference to the "anyway, how is your sex life" line from The Room lol. Except Jack would purposely do that for the sake of rattling someone. XD
> 
> Next time: Rhys and Vaughn have to finally come clean with each other about some things. ^_^


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and Vaughn finally have a talk they'd been needing to have for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter pushes the fluff envelope a bit lol.

Vaughn scurried around the apartment, flustered about all the mess he’d left. He haphazardly flung dirty clothes into his bedroom and cursed every gross dish that was lying around. It was embarrassing how bad he’d let things get. His hands trembled as he carted old cups and plates to the dishwasher.

Jack and Timothy were still fresh on his mind, of course. He would have appreciated the moment of quiet time to try and digest what had happened all day, if it weren’t that the most nerve-wracking part was still to come. Rhys had messaged after work, stating that he had to stop somewhere but would be home soon.

Hanging out with Rhys had never made Vaughn nervous, but now… What were they going to do? Was everything going to be different, if they dated? He still didn’t want their whole dynamic to change. Was Rhys on the same page, too? At the same time, this wasn’t just a casual thing for him to add Vaughn in, was it? Maybe it was even out of sympathy, for how mopey he’d been lately. What if he didn’t feel the same at all?!

The thoughts made Vaughn’s breathing pick up pace until he was nearly hyperventilating. He forced himself to stop and just lean over the counter for a moment, closing his eyes.

Okay. There was no reason to freak out. It was just Rhys. He silently mused at the irony that Rhys was the one who usually kept him cool when things seemed tense. Now that same man was the cause of his anxiety. And it was too late to get coaching from Yvette, not that she’d be enthusiastic to help him work out things with Rhys, anyway. It was all up to him now.

Vaughn drew in a long breath, standing up tall and raising his chin defiantly at no one. “I can do this,” he asserted. “I am not afraid.”

A sudden thunder of heavy thuds from out in the hall made him jump and yelp. Vaughn cautiously approached, listening for any more sounds over his once-again hammering heart. When there was nothing else to be heard, he tapped the button to open the apartment door.

Rhys was on the floor right outside, pushing himself to his hands and knees and snarling with frustration. Before him was a box of donuts with the lid flipped open, half the contents thrown onto the floor alongside scattered flower petals from a nearby bouquet. “Are you okay?!” Vaughn exclaimed, wondering how this day could get any more surreal.

Rhys startled at Vaughn’s presence before falling into an embarrassed pout. “Yeah. I just tripped over my feet trying to reach for the door release. I was carrying all this stuff, and I, I was in a hurry and now it’s all over the damn floor, and…” His voice quivered and trailed off, before he snatched the tattered bouquet off the floor and held it stiffly toward Vaughn. Its flowers were colors of brilliant orange and yellow. “These are for you,” he mumbled, barely able to look up. When he did, there was a thin sheen of tears visible in his human eye.

Vaughn awkwardly took the flowers in his arms, thinking his face might turn permanently pink after today. His heart immediately thudded happily; no one had ever given him flowers before. For them to be from Rhys was extra amazing. “Wow. Thanks,” he squeaked, shifting them to one arm and extending a hand to help Rhys to his feet.

Sullenly, Rhys accepted the gesture. Their hands squeezed gently before the cybernetic man went to wipe the dust off himself. “Unbelievable,” he grumbled at the mess on the floor. He knelt down to close the donut box. “The donuts were for you, too. At least they didn’t all fall out, I guess.”

“No, no, no,” Vaughn insisted. He sat the bouquet down on a nearby table and then stepped out to help pick up the donuts off the floor. “These are still good.”

“ _Vaughn,_ ” Rhys chided, a note of humor finally hitting his downcast voice.

“Thirty-second rule.”

“That’s not what it’s called.”

Vaughn blew a little dirt off one with chocolate frosting and sprinkles – his favorite. “These are from Wake and Bake, right?”

“Yeah. They’re also from the floor. Where people walk, with their gross shoes. Vaughn – people spit on this floor.”

“Ah, the cleaning bots make their rounds,” Vaughn said with a humored shrug as he lifted the small stack of donuts in his hands. It eased his nerves to have some normal banter with Rhys before they got to the more serious topic at hand. Rhys sniffed defiantly at him.

“At least keep those ones separate from the clean ones!”

“Fair enough.”

The eerie presence of what they had to talk about quickly started to reform once they had shuffled back into the apartment. Rhys sat the box of donuts on the kitchen table while Vaughn went to put the flowers in some water. Of course they didn’t have a vase. He rummaged through the cabinets until he found the largest plastic cup they owned, and stuck them in there.

“Look, Vaughn,” Rhys started, wiping his palms on his vest, “I have a lot to apologize for. The plan was, I was going to talk it all over with you first. Jack is _such_ an ass.”

Vaughn couldn’t suppress a smirk at the growling tone his words took. It was refreshing to know that Rhys wasn’t just a blind fanboy with Jack. Still, though, he didn’t have him in it to say it, but if Rhys had strode in suggesting that Vaughn just hook up with Handsome Jack, along with a surprise body double, that probably would have gone so much worse.

“I was all set to come over yesterday, and then Yvette messaged that she’d be stopping by, and…agh, I just needed the alone time with you. So I went to try and bring lunch over to your office today, and it was a mess! The whole department had declared you dead, and some of them were already putting in for your job. I caught a couple trying to make off with your exercise bike.”

“What?!” Vaughn cried.

“I made them put it back. And Jack sent a notice to set the record straight. I was so _furious_. I can’t believe he just grabbed you from work like that!” Rhys shook his head, brow furrowed angrily as he huffed through his nose. Then his tone became quieter and glum. “He must have given you a scare.”

“Scare? Pff… Ah, ha…” Vaughn fumbled. Suddenly he remembered the promise he’d made. “You’re not mad at Timothy, too, are you?” he asked, rubbing the back of his head. “It sounded more like Jack was the mastermind behind it all.”

“Clearly,” Rhys said with a light roll of his eyes. He rested his hands on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and frowned in thought. “He still went along with it, though.”

“But he gave us muffins! They’re orange cranberry.”

That got Rhys to break his disgruntled expression. “Oh, those _are_ good,” he muttered under his breath. Then in a normal voice, “Look, I’m not going to chew him out like I did Jack. I know he’s more sensitive. But he’s not off the hook. Both of them really went behind my back, and they could have ruined…”

He paused, a sad look falling across his face. Gingerly, he took Vaughn’s hand and led them both to sit on the couch. Their fingers entwined and he rested their hands on his knee. “They said you agreed to trying this,” he noted carefuly.

“Yeah,” Vaughn said vacantly, hardly able to focus with Rhys holding his hand like this. It was a subtle form of contact, but they’d rarely ever touched each other beyond elbow nudges and pats on the shoulder. The warmth and gentleness of Rhys’s grip was thrilling him, making his heart flutter up to his ears as he lightly squeezed back.

Rhys gnawed on his lip, eyeing Vaughn warily. “I want to make sure you’re really comfortable with it, though, that you didn’t feel pressured or obligated to say yes. You’re not going to get thrown out an airlock, or…” he paused, motioning his free hand nervously, “…or lose me, if you don’t want to go along with this.”

Vaughn’s eyes widened at the forward statement. He watched Rhys stare off and downward, flustered, and immediately had to try and soothe his worries. “I really meant it, Rhys! Honestly. Jack and Timothy are, uh…” He paused, bashful to say how he felt. “I think there’s a chance this could work.”

That made a shy smile tug at Rhys’s lips as he peeked up at him. “So, it went okay today?”

“Yeah,” Vaughn affirmed, although talking with Rhys about it still felt strange. “I mean, Jack freaked me out at first. He’s really unpredictable. But, uh, nicer than I thought he would be, in a sort of ‘Jack’ way. He kind of seemed to enjoy watching me squirm.”

Rhys’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do to you?”

Oh, boy. The day was a whole mess of Jack doing weird shit. It was hard to pick a specific incident out of the blur. “Nothing bad,” he opted to say. “Just saying things he knew would get a reaction, and stuff.” Rhys showing his protective side, even against his boyfriend, was admittedly doing it for Vaughn a little.

Rhys ran his metal fingers through his hair thoughtfully, huffing a resigned laugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right. How do you feel about him?”

That was even tougher to answer. Vaughn had still been trying to figure that out ever since he left the man’s office. He didn’t want to admit, but couldn’t deny that there was an attraction there. Jack’s sporadic nature was actually a bit fun to be around. Before, he’d found that to be the man’s most terrifying trait, but Jack had defied the violent expectations Vaughn had of him.

“Well,” he started cautiously, “he’s different than I thought he’d be. That’s a good thing. I just don’t know what he wants with me, Rhys. Why does the CEO of Hyperion want anything to do with a lowly nerd accountant?” The two made eye contact and Vaughn struggled to finish the thought.

“I’m not you,” he mumbled.

Rhys stroked his thumb over the back of Vaughn’s hand. “He just wants to get to know you. Jack can be an ass, obviously, but he’s even surprised me with how much he cares. I never thought things between me and him were ever going to go beyond sleeping together. You should see how much he dotes over Timothy, too!” He paused thoughtfully. “I know it may be hard for you to believe, but he said he’s taken a liking to you.” At Vaughn’s skeptical expression he added, “Really. He said you’re precious!”

Vaughn screwed up his face, trying desperately to cover up how irrationally happy that made him. Despite having been asked out and kissed by the man earlier that day, he still felt a small thrill at those words. It made the chances of them working out seem more real. The last thing he wanted to do was admit that to Rhys, though. The guy had done nothing but sing Jack’s praises for years, and Vaughn had always adamantly stood his ground that the CEO was trouble. Still, his cheeks heated up and betrayed him.

“Are you blushing?” Rhys snickered.

“No,” Vaughn replied, voice strained with effort.

“Are you a Jack fanboy now? Has he turned you over?”

“No.” Vaughn had to try real hard not to dig his fingernails into Rhys’s hand.

The other man’s voice quivered with laughter. “I’ve got some extra posters. Do you want one for your office?”

“That is never going to happen!” Vaughn barked, nearly popping out of his seat. “I’m drawing the line there!”

Rhys reached over and gripped Vaughn’s arm with his robotic hand, purely elated. “Okay, I get you, but Vaughn – really? You like him?”

Vaughn rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Ugh, a bit! I’m still trying to gauge the situation. We need to spend more time together for me to be sure.”

That seemed plenty for Rhys, who was practically glowing. “What about Timothy? Did you get along well?”

“Yeah,” Vaughn said, blowing out a sigh. That was a lot easier to admit. “Meeting him was a real shock.” He decided to leave out the head-hitting incident, for the sake of all parties involved. Rhys drug his robotic hand down his face with a groan.

“Shit, I’m sorry for not telling you about him,” he muttered into the metal. “I really couldn’t. It was his secret, and…”

“I probably didn’t want to know before today,” Vaughn said honestly, trying to dissolve Rhys’s regret. “It seems like we have a lot in common, though.”

“Right,” Rhys said, recovering his mood. “Even before all this, I was hoping to introduce him to you so you two could be friends. He’s been all over the idea of bringing you in. The more I told him about you, the more excited he got.”

Vaughn fidgeted uncomfortably. “Yeah, how much have you been sharing?”

“Heh, sorry,” Rhys chuckled. “Just talking about times when we’ve hung out. And maybe a few pictures,” he added with an unapologetic grin. “I think he wanted to meet you, even before. When all this came up, it was actually kind of happy news for him.”

A small smile crept onto Vaughn’s face. Despite how horrible this had all felt the past few weeks, it was now starting to seem like happy news for him, too. Timothy was an unexpectedly sweet guy, and Vaughn was already excited to see him again tomorrow.

Rhys’s gaze drifted to the side and his face grew serious again. “So I guess that just leaves…you and me.”

The mood in the room instantly went apprehensive and silent, even as they still held hands. This was the topic they’d been skirting around, unsure how to handle after being casual with each other for so long. How could they even start to approach this? Finally having Rhys’s hand in his, though, and feeling how right it felt, how much he’d wanted it for so long, Vaughn knew what he had to do.

He moved his hands up to rest on Rhys’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I’ve, uh…had feelings for you, for a long time, Rhys,” he said. “Like, since college.” His voice trembled at the admission, but he forced himself to continue. “I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. I didn’t even know if you liked guys, or if you would even like me, and, I didn’t want to lose you because you’re my best friend. For years, I only had you, and I, I was scared that things would get weird between us, but then when you started seeing Jack, it was a lot scarier because I thought you were finally leaving me behind. I know I’m not cool like you, or him, and I thought maybe you weren’t going to want me around anymore.” By now there were tears spilling over from his eyes and he sniffled.

“Vaughn,” Rhys breathed, voice low with sorrow. He gently cupped his human hand around the back of Vaughn’s head and pulled him into the crook of his neck for an embrace. Vaughn sniffed against his shirt collar as Rhys pressed a kiss to his forehead, and they both wrapped arms around each other tightly. Suddenly Rhys shook with crying that startled Vaughn.

“Vaughn, don’t be crazy,” he sobbed. “I’m always going to want you. I’m really sorry if I ever made you feel any different. You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had, and…I couldn’t say anything, either. If you didn’t feel the same, I thought it might drive you away. I wanted to ask you out in college, but it seemed like you really just enjoyed us being friends. I sort of gave up, convinced myself after a while that it wasn’t worth the risk. Please believe that I can’t imagine doing all this without you. I really love you, Vaughn.”

Vaughn clung to Rhys, soaking in those words. Never had he thought that Rhys might have the same insecurities he did. Rhys always carried himself with such confidence, like nothing could faze him. It stung to think how they never opened up to each other before. Vaughn wanted to be closer to Rhys than that, to know all of him. He didn’t want either of them to continue putting on acts for each other.

He tilted his head up to kiss Rhys, slow and easy. “I love you, too,” he said softly, cupping Rhys’s cheeks and smiling at the blush his words caused. Rhys bashfully bumped his forehead against Vaughn’s before leaning in to kiss again. Vaughn gently brushed away the tears on his cheek, the gesture softly returned. Rhys combed his robotic hand through Vaughn’s hair. The metal faintly grazed his scalp. Vaughn did the same, petting at Rhys’s hairline before moving down to his neck.

The two continued exploring each other thoroughly as they leaned in to deepen their kiss, hands indulgently roving and tracing over the unfamiliar territory, as if trying to commit to memory. Before long their kisses became more insistent. The fingers that were traveling started to progressively grip, and then tug at each others’ clothes until it was more than apparent where things were headed.

Vaughn broke the kiss, a little out of breath. “Is this okay?” he puffed, wanting this very much but not sure where everything stood with Jack and Timothy. The question made Rhys huff a laugh as he began to quickly but carefully unbutton his expensive work shirt.

“We’re dating now, right?” he panted, gleeful grin upon his features. “All of us are on the table.”

The statement was blunt and more than he could consider at the moment, but Vaughn didn’t need any more bidding. He likewise started clawing off his shirt with all the ferocity of a professional wrestler getting ready to brawl. Once he’d flung the material to the floor, Rhys smoothly pushed him down to lay on the couch and straddled his hips. The man’s brow knitted into an angry pout.

“And Jack won’t _shut up_ about how he got to kiss you first,” he growled. “There’s no way I’m going to let either of them beat us to anything else.”

Vaughn snorted, equally pleased that Rhys would be jealous over him and surprised that Rhys already had that information. “How much do you guys message each other?!”

That made Rhys smirk. “You’ll be finding out soon. Let’s just say your echo might melt,” he said, finally shedding his tailored shirt to reveal the intricate windings of dark blue ink underneath.

Vaughn gulped.

Chest tattoo, chest tattoo, sweet mother of _Pandora_ , he was going to touch the chest tattoo. The way Rhys eyed his abs with his own ravenous gaze just compounded Vaughn’s arousal. Apparently they were both done with the brief shirtless glimpses they’d had of each other over the years.

Before Vaughn knew it, Rhys had lowered and was claiming his lips again, grinding intently on top of him. Their hands traveled and roamed once more, vaguely working at the remaining articles of clothing they wore. When Rhys moved down to kiss and suck at Vaughn’s collarbone, the shorter man looked up at the ceiling and blew out a sharp breath of air.

“Hey, Rhys? Rhys?” he said, frantically patting at the man’s metal shoulder. Rhys reluctantly stopped to glance up.

“Hm?”

“I know it probably hasn’t been that long for you, but it’s been forever since I…uhm… I don’t know how else to say this. We need to pick up the pace.” He nearly shrieked when Rhys’s human hand suddenly dove into his pants. “Hah- _specially_ if you keep doing things like that!”

The reaction made Rhys snort with laughter and bury his face against Vaughn’s shoulder. “You asked for it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun with this chapter. X.D These two are so awesome.


End file.
